Happy Birthday to my Princess Lovebug! Squirt is five today.

And this is my Princess Lovebug four years and 42 weeks ago!! I love her so much!

DES MOINES, Iowa -- November 2, 2011.

A rare but welcome shot of rain is rolling through Iowa today. It really is not much of a storm...it is a friendly little “event” as the weather people would call it.

I went out for my walk with my lovebugs early to beat the rain. And then I smelt…"that smell"...the smell of rain. I asked myself, "is it possible to smell the rain?" Well, you can smell something, but rain? Have you ever tried to smell this same rain in January when the ground is frozen solid? Not a chance, but when the ground and plants are warmer, you can smell something.

 
What you really smell comes not from the air, but the ground! Plants release oils that enter the soil and blend with the other earthy odors. These odors are released into the air when the relative humidity at ground level exceeds 75 percent. Moist humid air will transmit odors far better than dry air. In these moist humid conditions we notice these odors more readily. And since rain is so often connected with moist humid air, we tend to associate one with the other.

Some rocks such as limestone also smell like this when wet. Science tells us it is the slow evaporation of calcium; small particles are released into the air which enter your nose, and there’s a gaseous calcium-containing molecule produced by interaction between carbon dioxide, water, and a calcium compound.

I came home, and as the rain started, I settled in for some serious and overdue relaxation time. I am curious about nature and its ability to evoke memory, about universal experiences that each of us can deeply personalize, about nostalgic places, smells, and emotions. I have always loved the rain. I remember childhood times at the lake. The neighbors, my brother, and I would swim in the rain. We would play "under the dock tag". The rain was sometimes cold , but the lake water warm, dark, and engulfing. I love the rain! I love the darkness of an afternoon with thunderstorms crashing overhead, and me snuggled up in a blanket at home. I love the constant tapping of the rain on my roof at night, coaxing me to sleep.

I will soak up today's rare, but welcome fall rain.

My fall lawn food is down and soon the grass and plants will go dormant as they prepare themselves for the spring bloom. Spring cannot get here soon enough!

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.

-Roger Miller

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow