The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-08-03
Observations
Humidity May be
Too Much Even
For Daffodils
BY HELEN EssARY

over on the eastern shore OF
Maryland. down Kent County way.
Louisa Jackson was wet and drool-
ing tying up tomato plants. Louisa
had on a pair of rubber boots. The
mud squished through the holes
in their toes.
1--WE been living around these
parts for many a long day" said
Louisa. but never seen anything
like this rain. Rain Rain And
then some more rain. It's not a na9'
tural rain, neither. The weather
man cant tell me that. It's a rain
plumb out OF the Bible. Yes,
ma'am, out Of Revelations. It's a
rain that tells the end Of the world
You really think so?".
YES, maam, sure does. The
preacher, he says so, too. He says
the Good Lord in his Heaven told
US long, long ago il we fell into
evil ways; il We took all peace
from the earth and killed each
other with the sword and hunger
and death, then the wrath OF the
Jehovah would fall on US. The kings
and the rich men and the chief men
and the captains would hide them
selves in the dens and the rocks OF
the mountains from the wrath OF
the Lamb.
Don't II look to you like We
brought the wrath OF the Lamb on
u.s." asked Louisa, getting up from
her knees end raising her arms to
the sky, q washed-out tomato plant
in each hand. Noah never had
more foods to worry about than
we've had down here on the sho'.
And the wickedness want no worse
in Noah's time than It is right now.
No, ma'am, | wouldn't blame the
Lord none at all II he drowned US
all out and started the world over
again fresh and pure"
can't say that believe Louisa
Jackson is right She may be a
little extra discouraged because
her tomato plants got washed down
into the Chesapeake Bay. But /
don't really feel the end OF the
world is coming In a food.
/. myself, have been trying to
think about rain" romantically.
Not Biblically. For example, on
the eighth consecutive night the
rain fell on my window sill with
such force l dreamed the city was
being bombed. Don't be frighten-
ed, told myself. Remember the
little poem. at isn't raining at all;
it's raining daffodils."
But even daffodils get soggy. And
so your mood when you've had too
much humidity in your life.
now turn to the wisdom Of Hen
~ Wadsworth Longfellow, that
most practical and comforting Of
poets. For after ALL" said the
New Highlander, the best thing one
can do when It is raining. is to
let 1t rain"
Another poet has said more
sweetly, Each rain drop makes
some flowerlet bloom" A pleasant
thought. II you can hold 1t. But,
each rain drop takes more starch
out OF your already limp person
ality. And frequently adds green
mold to your book bindings. And
what II does to the toadstools under
your rhododendron bushes Shoots
them up like red-nosed Quislings
in liberated countries.
It's a charming fantasy to refer
in meter to:
"The subdued, subdulng st rain
Which is played upon the shingles
BY the patter OF the rain"
That is, IT is charming fantasy to
Arthur Coates Kinney. But Judge
of temperament, particularly fem
mime temperament, King Solomon,
himself. jotted down a couplet for
Proverbs:
"A continual dropping In a very
rainy day and contentious woman
are alike"
Something tells me, too. that So
lomon wouldn't have cared for Sara
Teasdale and her rain-drenched
chair" I'll bet you a new perman-
ent waye that the Hebrew monarch
demanded dry perfumed locks OF
every wife and concubine in his
kingly palace.