Last night the rain poured, jagged streaks of lightning struck and then there was the thunder. It was at first a faint rumble in the distance, and I wasn’t sure it was thunder so I muted the TV to listen. All of a sudden, in a heart beat, the thunder was right over my roof and outside the window. I have never heard thunder so near. All of us jumped. I held the dogs though they seemed okay. The lightning lit up the back window. The rain continued though it was lighter than before.

Last night Henry scared the bejesus out of me. He was asleep then without warning he barked loudly and intensely, jumped off the couch at the same time, slid on the rug in the hall and ran to the back door where he continued to bark. I checked. Whatever had spooked him was gone. Last night was quite dramatic.

Today is a delight. The bright sun is framed by a deep blue sky. It is in the high 50’s where it is supposed to stay all day. Last night’s wind is still blowing, still strong. I can hear it, and I can see the trees’ branches swaying and bending. I have outside chores. I need to grab my prisoner’s stick and clean up Nala’s trash in the backyard. My little library has to be checked, and I have a few books to add. The white lights on the back deck banister were chewed by a spawn of Satan. They had lit up the nights for months then the nights went dark. I’m going to try again.

When I was a kid, a streetlight was outside my house on the corner at the foot of the grassy hill. It had a hood of sorts, and the light hung from an upside down L shaped pole. I used to sit at the picture window in the living room and look out at the light. In the winter I watched the snow fall. In the summer I watched the bugs, mostly moths, circling the light. That light was also a signal. It had the responsibility of ending our playtime, of sending us home for the night. My neighborhood here has no streetlights, but it has kids. I wonder how they know to go home.

Today is May Day. It is a day to celebrate the coming summer, to gather wildflowers and branches, weave flower garlands and raise the May pole. Mother Nature has seen fit to gift us with a lovely May Day. Get out and dance around the pole. Celebrate!