I am sitting on the front porch watching the rain pour down.
It is coming down hard. I am dressed to go out for a run but I can’t — because it’s raining.
Earlier this morning, Becky and neighbor Kelly went out and ran in a gentle sprinkle. I stayed in because I was drinking coffee and still waking up. Besides, that is their time to run and chat. I suppose I should have gone while the rain was light and enjoyed my coffee later. “Later” which would be now, I guess.
If it starts to lighten up, I will go out, but it will have to be a very light rain. Although I run in all sorts of weather conditions in all seasons of the year, on this particular morning I am not inclined to get soaking wet. Besides, It’s a wee bit chilly.
Contrary to what some people say, I really do know when to come in out of the rain. The radar on my phone shows I am on the edge of a line of green, yellow and red all tracking from the southwest. I’ll just wait here on the porch for a break in the action.
The rain is loud as it pelts the ground, pummels the house and rattles the leaves of the surrounding trees. Off in the distance I can hear rumbles of thunder.
Suddenly I am aware of what I don’t hear: the constant chorus of cicadas. Probably they are sheltering somewhere to avoid the current downpour. Proof, I guess, cicadas also know when to come in out of the rain.
Although some don’t like it, I find it an odd pleasure to listen to the background noise cicadas generate. It’s a white noise. I would call it “audio wallpaper” except it is outside where there are no walls. When the cicadas’ noise first appeared, it felt familiar like I had heard it somewhere else.
Eventually I was reminded that cicada songs were used extensively in “Them,” a 1954 science fiction movie which was nominated for an Academy Award for special effects. “Them” are giant ants created by an atomic explosion. I was a small child when it came out, so it is likely I first saw it years later on Nightmare Theater with Sammy Terry.
Lots of movie monsters and scary situations were created by atomic explosions back then. The atomic bombing of Japan was still fresh in the public’s mind and the fear of total apocalypse became part of the post-war zeitgeist.
The end of World War II stayed with us for a long time. Same thing happened after the Vietnam War. That “police action” permeated the cultural consciousness of the US into the 1970s and beyond. The fighting may have ended in 1973, but the war stayed in our heads and in our spirits for many years. In a way, it is with us still.
Still hearing far-off thunder. Rain will slack a bit then resume its pounding.
Although the water is not coming onto the porch, the pages of the newspaper and my journal are slightly limp in the humid air. I suppose I could go inside, forget about running and make today a rest day.
Then again, I’ve got plenty of reading material, some coffee and a pleasant, quiet (except for the rain) spot to watch the day unfold. The weather prediction is that the raining will stop in few hours. Maybe I’ll just wait it out.
Norman Knight, a retired Clark-Pleasant Middle School teacher, writes this weekly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
