Above a hushed and waiting world, In high and windy spaces
A rumbling, grumbling orchestra Thunders through its paces.
Cascading notes in liquid tones, A stormy melody
Is played on cloudy instruments In springtime’s symphony.
–Blanche Day Manos
I thoroughly enjoy a good thunderstorm. Something about the onslaught of rain and crashing of thunder speaks to my stormy spirit or could it be that it brings back hidden long ago memories of the day I was born? On that day, my mother said, we had a doozy of a storm. Whatever it is, if the weather is not too frightful, it brings out the creativity, the energy, and the joy of feeling myself one with nature. And, as my meandering thoughts wander this morning, speaking of nature reminds me of one of my all-time favorite Bible verses from Job 5:23, “For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.”
From storms to stones and back again to storms. I like to have my fictional characters enjoy a good rainstorm or two. In The Cemetery Club, Darcy and Flora are caught out in a storm that is nearly their undoing. The threat is not from Mother Nature; it is from two gentlemen bent on a nefarious scheme of their own who happen to use a rain slick road to their advantage.
After a tumble down Deertrack Hill, Darcy and Flora run for their lives through the driving rain and at last f ind themselves between a rock and a hard place, or more aptly, between the bad guys and a limestone bluff.
As we moved from under the protection of our limestone ledge, rain and wind struck us full force. The storm seemed to be in league with our pursuers. The only good thing was that they were battling the same thing…Rain pushed against me with such force that it was impossible to see where I was going…At times we crawled across rocks and over rotten logs, praying that we didn’t disturb a cottonmouth or rattlesnake. Probably our hands and knees were a bloody mess from abrasions but now was no time to worry about it.
As you can see, co-author Barbara Burgess and I like to get our two heroines into a tight spot and we used rain to heighten the danger. The thunderstorm makes the going rough for Darcy and Flora but in the end, it helps shield them from the two crooks who were after them.
And as that cloudy orchestra plays overhead this morning, I am reminded of another rhyme, one that many of us have heard at one time or another:
When the wind is from the south, blows the bait in fishes’ mouth; When the wind is from the north, skillful fishers go not forth.
When the wind is from the east, ’tis not good for man nor beast but when when the wind blows all around, Find a cellar underground.
Thunderstorms are great. But when they take on a menacing aspect, it’s time to seek shelter. Let’s hope that none of those winds that blow all around threaten any of us this spring. And into my wandering thoughts pops the great protection Psalm 91 and I pray that we “abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
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