Thunder

July 17, 2012

Queensbury, NY
Cowering in my apartment

A thunder shower in the night.
Thunder near at hand, though louder,
 is a more trivial and earthly sound than at a distance;
 likened to sounds of men.

        HDT’s Journal, July 20, 1853

The heats of July are in full swing.

This summer seems like the hottest summer ever. There have been many late-afternoon thunder-storms. They do nothing to relieve the heat and humidity, as we have hoped.

More bad storms are forecast for tonight – maybe this heat will finally break.

Temperatures over 70 degrees at night are unusual for this area.
(I try to call up memories of them during January,  but it’s completely unimaginable then.)

I’m working on the computer after dinner, when it suddenly gets very dark.
There’s a low rumbling in the distance.

This is how it looked an hour BEFORE sunset!

I ducked back inside,just  as the first large raindrops plopped down.
Crash !
Boom !
as the lightning flashed overhead. The computer gets shut off.

I  sit on the sofa and tremble like a Chihuahua, as the pressure drops and winds thrash the trees outside.

It all looks so much tidier on the weather-maps.