spring rains

7 ‘Ala 165 B.E. (Baha’i Calendar)
Soundtrack in my head:  Soundpool, “My Ethereal Daydream”

Today it rained most of the day in Madison. It was one of those steady, ever-present spring rains. It kind of reminded me of the rainy day that forms the backdrop of the scene described in the Suzanne Vega song “Tom’s Diner.”  Given that we are in the last days of winter, it was a welcome sight.  I’ll take rainy-day drabness over winter bleakness, and in early March, it is especially welcome.

I walked down State Street and noticed how different the street scene looked from just a week or two before.  It was much colder then, but now the snow was gone, and it was easy to imagine it being April, or May, or even July.  I have a big stadium-style umbrella which kept me pretty dry, so I took in the street scene and found myself really enjoying it.  The sound of the rain hitting the sidewalk was soothing, as was the sound of tires creating a spray of rain on the wet streets.

Later on, in my neighborhood, I walked down Few Street to where it dead ends at Lake Monona.  Orton Park was mostly clear of snow thanks to the spring rains– except for a ring around the perimeter where shoveled snow created deeper snowbanks.  Walking to the edge of Lake Monona, I could see that the lake was still mostly iced over.  A storm drain right below my feet was pouring water into the lake , and I could a see patch where the ice melted because of it.  I could see other patches of open water further out into the lake.  I couldn’t tell whether the ice was still safe to walk on.  It’s not something I would have risked.  Sometimes as it is melting the ice appears almost squishy and puddly.  But I’m sure there are still ice fisherman braving these conditions.

Walking back to my house, it feels like we have the most snow remaining on our block out of any place in Madison. The parks and most of the streets are clear of it.  Perhaps we have more snow because of the snowbanks created by shoveling sidewalks.  Also, the houses on my end of the block are on a little upraised mound, creating the illusion of higher snowbanks than what really exist.

It’s supposed to get a little colder next week, with the temp dipping into the teens at least one of the nights. This has been a long winter for me–longer than usual perhaps because of my sleep issues. But more and more signs of spring are showing like cracks in the ice, and pretty soon the cracks will dwarf the ice itself.    Soon not only will rain eclipse the snow, but the sun will eventually eclipse the spring rains.