Florida Summertime

“We have to stop, it’s going to rain.”
“We cannot stop yet, Jack, there is still daylight!”
“Sophia, I am not going to stand here and get soaked—”
His sentence was punctuated with the plop! of a large drop of
water at his feet. A moment later one hit Sophia on the nose, and
then in the next instant while she looked at Jack, the sky opened
and the squall came down in torrents, soaking them where they
stood.

--The Bride and the Buccaneer

My favorite room in the house is the screen porch. I eat lunch out there almost every day, even when it's 95F and 99% humidity, like today. It's not so bad if you don't move around much.

Then there are the daily storms. You know it's summer in Florida when almost every day between 2 and 6 p.m. there's a short thunderstorm. It comes up quickly, and can blow through just as quick. I've seen rain fall on one side of the street, and sunshine on the other side. It's weird, but you get used to it and plan your outdoor excursions accordingly.

So today I was out on the porch eating lunch, and sure enough, the wind picked up, the sky darkened, and for 15 minutes the rain came down like a bag full of water had been ripped open. Then the sun returned along with hummingbirds and butterflies rocking the fresh washed flowers and feeders.

Writers are always told, "Write what you know." When I described the frog-drowning downpour in The Bride and the Buccaneer, it was from real life, a life of many, many summer thunderstorms.

Here's hoping your summer afternoon is bright and sunny. And if it isn't now, give it time. It'll change soon enough--at least it will if you're in Florida.