Mother Nature’s fireworks

14 years ago

To the editor:

It was a quiet morning the other day. You know the type, you lay there on the bed marveling at the wonders of the world and ignoring the alarm clock which you heaved across the room when it rang. Not quite sunrise but that hazy early morning light that hides all the scars and scabs of the day before.
It was just such a morning that greeted me this week. I had taught my final class for the semester and am now preparing to give the final exam. No assignments, no classes to meet with and nothing to do besides enjoy the heat and humidity. Time to impersonate the cat! … BOOM!… Flash and shake!

To say that the rain which fell after the lightning strike was a deluge is to be very polite. Somebody not only emptied the bucket, they made certain to drag the ocean along for the fun. It has been a rainy week in this sub-tropical paradise. Daily, there are thunderstorms and rain followed by sunshine and humidity. As I write this it is 31 degrees with a high of 38 expected. I’m freezing.

It is the end of the semester and now you are beginning to see the students pack up their rooms and prepare to go home. In a way these summer time thunderstorms are a relief. Lots of flash, bang, and bluster and then the sun comes out. For the students it is a relief to finally be finished with classes. The only thing left is to take their exams and then a summer vacation of a month or so before starting once more on the studies.

No, I will not see the fireworks at home this year. I will have the mosquito swatting celebration but no black flies. However, a few lightning bolts hitting the trees and buildings around me make up for the missed opportunity.

Glad to know that even now this Great Nation can take a moment and be proud for the freedom and the beacon that we have become. It’s the Fourth of July and time for hot summer fun. The sun rises ever so slowly and things begin to dry out.

Orpheus Allison
Guang Zhou, China
orpheusallison@mac.com