Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Raine, raine, do your thing, See what blessings you may bringe

Right on schedule (every four or five months) - somebody hits the switch (maybe it's the lightning), and the presses start rolling again. Actually the pressure is not so much on the switch as it is on the individual - I just wanted to stop the yelling! So, for a period of time, and some degree of regularity it may come to pass that words will flow which will contain an acceptable level of understandibility. And maybe interest.

After a delicious meal at home or abroad, I'll often say "Pretty good, what there was of it" knowing full well that seconds are readily available. So far, faint smiles outnumber the slaps. . .

These words could be applied to our rainfall (y.t.d.) in this southeastern corner of a Southwestern state. Numerically speaking, our annual rainfall just bumps over 14". The y.t.d. average is just under 11" and this year we're sporting 4.39". That leaves us with- just a minute- (tap tap, tap, tap tap tap tap, tap)- here we are6.5" short so far this year, with our wettest month, August, well behind us. What to do? More on Mr. monsoon next time.

This nursery rhyme is often used by those well beyond elementary-grade years -
Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day (and often with. . .
Little Johnny (Brenda, Arthur, Elspeth, etc.) wants to play.

[People from the Eastern U.S. and Cananada, with their uncertain, untimely and undisciplined 'rain showers' repeat this oftenly in the summer season.]

The rhyme goes back at least to the late 17th Century - John Aubrey, the holey one, is almost certainly a brother of some sort and note children using 'Raine, raine, go away, Come again a Saturday', to "charme away the Raine".

***** ***
WHAT MEANETH THIS: ad hoc, as in "ad hoc committee" ? A good Latin term indicating
'for this', with the idea of 'for this task only'.

2 comments:

Steve said...

And here I thought "ad hoc" was a paid advert for the pawn shop. I learne something new every day.

And welcome back!

George said...

'Sabout timee!