wet and wild

It's been an April to forget for many people:  the late-arriving Spring, the rain, the gloominess, the storms.  It's time to move on to the next month.

The tornadoes of this past Wednesday in the South, killing several hundred people, were just the worst of what was a month in those regions of continuous rains and a record number of tornado activities.  On our trip this past week, we saw evidence from prior recent storms of tornado and flood damage in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.

Here in Minnesota, this was generally a month of continuing Winter and dreariness.  Last April was so beautiful we forgot that Aprils can sometimes also be like this one.  Now, as the rains pour down one day before May begins, I'm wondering how many prayers -- from farmers, outdoors enthusiasts, garden-center owners, bikers, and all the rest of us -- are going up for an end to this.

My fear is that this late Spring will make for a very short Summer.  This could be one of those years where we go right from Winter into heat and humidity.