Thunder and Lightening

In the past couple of days,

we have had intense thunderstorms

passing through the Shire.
But so far fortune has smiled on us
since the only sign of storms here at our house
were a few leaves down in the aftermath.

This series of storms was fast moving,
arriving and departing deep into the night.
I don't recall in recent memory such prolonged thunder.
Usually there are isolated claps of thunder following lightening,
but this time the thunder rumbled and rolled and reverberated
across the sky time and time again.

The next morning thunder still rumbled.
Here's a 35-second video I took
of the sound of rain and thunder
about an hour before the last storm passed through:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiS6L6k8tvY&feature=youtu.be

I have to confess I have always liked thunderstorms.
Perhaps it's the way the leaves turn up when a storm is coming
or that the earth swells to meet the lightening in the sky
that makes them appealing.
Or maybe it's the darkening sky and the sudden rush of wind
that makes one want to rush for cover.
Perhaps part of the attraction is the way the rain weighs down the leaves
and ebonizes the tree trunks:


Last night at twilight the sky was overcast
and the evening light illuminated everything
with an odd yellow cast.
Probably another storm coming through.
Although I like the occasional thunderstorm,
 they are less attractive when they arrive in window-rattling multiples.
I would rather they didn't come again so soon,
but such is summer.
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