It can’t rain all the time.  
When the rain subsides and the sun emerges, 
it is our Duty and Great Privilege to get out there 
and Enjoy the Gift…

“We live in this world when we love it.”
(Sri Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds #279, 1916)

I have been oblivious for such a long time, walking about, listening to my iPod.  I didn’t know what I had been missing.  For whatever reason, I recently found myself strolling along without my ear-buds in place and, to my pleasure, I discovered the sounds of nature – a cacophony of trills, cheeps, whistles, and calls, against the back-drop of the rushing water of Spencer Creek and the softly whooshing wind.  I was floored by how beautiful the sounds of nature can be.  And, if I listened closely enough, I could sort of tell from which direction the songs were coming from… I saw birds, and I stalked birds, and I took pictures of birds:

“Birds are nature’s most charismatic entertainers.  Clothed in brightly coloured plumage, they are lively and interesting to watch.  Endowed with the enviable power of flight, they are the embodiment of freedom.  And, apparent to all, they perform the natural world’s finest music… Bird songs are among the finest expression of nature’s orchestra – their music lifts our spirits, celebrates each dawning day, and heralds the passing of the seasons.  Whehter we live in cities, suburbs, or country areas, birds are always there to greet us if we allow ourselves the time to watch and listen.”   (from, Common Birds and their Songs, by Lang Elliott and Marie Read, 1998)

It seems a little ridiculous, now, that I have downloaded sounds of nature onto my iPod, including birds.   All I had to do was go outside and LISTEN!  (Sometimes, I’m a little slow on the uptake!)

Ah, the joys of Spring – a time of new beginnings and new discoveries…
Take time to Listen to the Birds!

… Or, The VERY Rainy Spring…

Some POSITIVE things about our Situation, in which the thick layer of the atmosphere is causing temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth’s surface, allowing for the condensation of atmospheric water vapor to form into drops of water heavy enough to fall, making it to the surface. These two processes, acting together, are thus leading to the air becoming saturated leading to liquid participation:)

1.  The rain is keeping the allergens down.

2.  It is helping to keep our robins fed.

The following (#3 – #6) are from the Hamilton Spectator, Tuesday, May 17, 2011:

3.  It’s a great time to plant evergreens, trees and shrubs, says Manfred Kastrau, an arborist and landscaper who owns a nursery in Hamilton’s east end. A long, cold spring is great for tree roots, which like cool, wet soil.

4.  Remember all those air quality warnings in the early spring? Not this year. The rain helps keep pollution at bay.

5.  Even if the summer turns hot and dry, all this rain now will help keep drought away, said Dave Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment Canada.

6.  It’ll make us appreciate the sunshine more when it comes….

7.  No sun burns!

8.  Record-Breaking, and who doesn’t love to break a record?!  From the Hamilton Spectator, Thursday, May 19, 2011:  The Wettest Spring… Ever…  It’s official. Wednesday night’s heavy downpour has pushed us well over the brink of what we actually needed to break a record this spring.  With 27.2 mm of rain Wednesday, this spring is Hamilton’s wettest. Not only is it the wettest spring on record, it is also the wettest period we have had from January 1 to May 18.  For the period March 1 to May 18, Hamilton has had a total of 381 mm of rain and snow. The record, prior to this, was in 1996 when we were showered with 363 mm. Since Jan. 1, we have received 497.1 mm of rain and melted snow, with the record being 493.9 mm.  This year, we have completely smashed the record and we still have another week and a half to go.  [email protected]   (Well, aren’t we the over-achievers?!)

9.  And, look at all the Loveliness…