michelej1
06-01-2009, 05:25 PM
From the Harrison Daily Times, by James White, May 31, 2009
http://harrisondaily.com/articles/2009/05/31/opinion/editorials/doc4a1edde49c4ef944874102.txt
“Oh, thunder only happens when it’s raining.
“Players only love you when they’re playing.
"Say, women, they will come and they will go.
“When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know.”
I had just turned 15 in 1977 when Fleetwood Mac released the album Rumours. At that time, I was fairly immature (not a lot has changed on that front, I guess) and I felt like that record was more for girls than anything else. It just didn’t rock.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize just how little I knew about music back then. I also came to realize why that album won the Grammy in 1978 for Album of the Year.
The song from which the lyrics above were lifted, “Dreams,” went all the way to No. 1 in the United States on June 18, 1977, and held that spot for one week.
Stevie Nicks wrote the song. She’s been quoted as saying it only took about 10 minutes, but it’s still one of the band’s most recognizable tunes and its only number one hit.
Those words also came to mind last weekend as the deluge hit us with water from the sky.
You know, I was watching the guys take down the avenue of American Flags on the courtpark last Wednesday afternoon and it made me a little sad.
I absolutely love the way the courtyard looks with all those flags flying out there.
And there’s the sound, too. With the wind blowing as it has been the last few days, the fluttering of all that cloth made a distinct sound one can really only hear this time of year.
The Memorial Day ceremony was, of course, the reason for all those flags. The Harrison Noon Lions Club always puts them out on the courtyard.
But as we sat at the office just across the square Monday morning, we were wondering just how the ceremony might work in what was a still fairly steady rain.
As time drew nearer for the ceremony, the rain slowly started to let up. Eventually, it was only a light mist, but it didn’t stop those vets and their families and supporters from holding yet another banner ceremony.
However, that wasn’t the case a couple of days before. I really don’t recall a Memorial Day weekend with as much rain as fell this year.
Saturday had been a little bit rainy, but nothing really, really bad. I worked in Eureka Springs that night, so I don’t know exactly what happened here.
On Sunday, I had plans to do some clean up work in the yard. It had been a late night, so I didn’t get up as early as I normally would. When I did, the rain was already falling, albeit lightly.
In fact, the rain was light enough that I got a little bit done before it really started hammering down. But when it did start falling, it fell to beat the band.
As bad as I thought I had it, it wasn’t really as bad as it could have been.
A friend and family went to a lake house getaway in southern Missouri on Saturday. They got there just a little while before it began to rain there.
They were able to get in the water for a little while and even aired up some air mattresses, but the monsoon sat in and it was back to the house.
Then there was the mud with which to deal. They got stuck in the goo and had to get nastied up to get out.
Finally, two members of the greater party decided to take a boat out on the lake, just so they could say they were on the lake on Memorial Day.
That was a good plan, but soon the Missouri Highway Patrol pulled them over. It seems the registration numbers weren’t on the side of the boat and they got a ticket.
Now, that’s just adding insult to injury.
But even at that, they had it better than people who had to work or those who didn’t have the money to go anywhere at all.
See, it’s all a perspective thing. And even at that, let’s look at the weather in perspective, too.
Last spring and summer were very wet. In fact, there was an absolute flood that really hurt the resort towns. This year has been wet so far, but it could soon get dry and reach drought proportions.
With all that said, let’s try and be thankful for what we do have and let the rain just wash us clean.
http://harrisondaily.com/articles/2009/05/31/opinion/editorials/doc4a1edde49c4ef944874102.txt
“Oh, thunder only happens when it’s raining.
“Players only love you when they’re playing.
"Say, women, they will come and they will go.
“When the rain washes you clean, you’ll know.”
I had just turned 15 in 1977 when Fleetwood Mac released the album Rumours. At that time, I was fairly immature (not a lot has changed on that front, I guess) and I felt like that record was more for girls than anything else. It just didn’t rock.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize just how little I knew about music back then. I also came to realize why that album won the Grammy in 1978 for Album of the Year.
The song from which the lyrics above were lifted, “Dreams,” went all the way to No. 1 in the United States on June 18, 1977, and held that spot for one week.
Stevie Nicks wrote the song. She’s been quoted as saying it only took about 10 minutes, but it’s still one of the band’s most recognizable tunes and its only number one hit.
Those words also came to mind last weekend as the deluge hit us with water from the sky.
You know, I was watching the guys take down the avenue of American Flags on the courtpark last Wednesday afternoon and it made me a little sad.
I absolutely love the way the courtyard looks with all those flags flying out there.
And there’s the sound, too. With the wind blowing as it has been the last few days, the fluttering of all that cloth made a distinct sound one can really only hear this time of year.
The Memorial Day ceremony was, of course, the reason for all those flags. The Harrison Noon Lions Club always puts them out on the courtyard.
But as we sat at the office just across the square Monday morning, we were wondering just how the ceremony might work in what was a still fairly steady rain.
As time drew nearer for the ceremony, the rain slowly started to let up. Eventually, it was only a light mist, but it didn’t stop those vets and their families and supporters from holding yet another banner ceremony.
However, that wasn’t the case a couple of days before. I really don’t recall a Memorial Day weekend with as much rain as fell this year.
Saturday had been a little bit rainy, but nothing really, really bad. I worked in Eureka Springs that night, so I don’t know exactly what happened here.
On Sunday, I had plans to do some clean up work in the yard. It had been a late night, so I didn’t get up as early as I normally would. When I did, the rain was already falling, albeit lightly.
In fact, the rain was light enough that I got a little bit done before it really started hammering down. But when it did start falling, it fell to beat the band.
As bad as I thought I had it, it wasn’t really as bad as it could have been.
A friend and family went to a lake house getaway in southern Missouri on Saturday. They got there just a little while before it began to rain there.
They were able to get in the water for a little while and even aired up some air mattresses, but the monsoon sat in and it was back to the house.
Then there was the mud with which to deal. They got stuck in the goo and had to get nastied up to get out.
Finally, two members of the greater party decided to take a boat out on the lake, just so they could say they were on the lake on Memorial Day.
That was a good plan, but soon the Missouri Highway Patrol pulled them over. It seems the registration numbers weren’t on the side of the boat and they got a ticket.
Now, that’s just adding insult to injury.
But even at that, they had it better than people who had to work or those who didn’t have the money to go anywhere at all.
See, it’s all a perspective thing. And even at that, let’s look at the weather in perspective, too.
Last spring and summer were very wet. In fact, there was an absolute flood that really hurt the resort towns. This year has been wet so far, but it could soon get dry and reach drought proportions.
With all that said, let’s try and be thankful for what we do have and let the rain just wash us clean.