We were certainly aware that we were taking a chance, preparing to venture out into the forest yesterday afternoon. While the sun was no longer searing the landscape in an overheated frenzy of extreme temperature, the likelihood of getting caught out in a downpour was pretty high. The day before, opportunity had eluded us completely, just no break in the rain whatever, and it was too heavy to brave a lengthy exposure only to become drenched and miserable.

We did take what we thought was a sensible precaution, once we decided to take advantage of a rain break, to stuff rain jackets for us and our two little dogs into a small backpack and haul it along with us. Every now and again the sun poked its shining face out of a cloud-crowded sky. And now and again rain would come pelting down, a pattern repeated in previous days. Sometimes heavily, sometimes not-so-much. Environment Canada had warned of heavy thunderstorm activity, so we knew that if we were caught out in one of those explosive events the rain jackets wouldn't do any of us much good.

Off we went, regardless. And we hadn't progressed very far in fact before we had to stop and haul the rain jackets out. Jackie and Jillie didn't seem to mind. It wasn't really hot to the degree that it had been in weeks previous to begin with, though we were certainly more comfortable without the rain jackets before the rain started up again. It was a fairly light rain event, though and not prolonged. So before long we shed them again, stuffing them back into the backpack.

The forest has been inundated for days, the forest floor illustrating the obvious, that it couldn't possibly absorb any more moisture. For at least a month, while it was hot, humid and bordering on a real water deficit with a paucity of rain, we hadn't been bothered by the presence of mosquitoes; nowhere for them to lay their eggs. Now, it's a different story, they can indulge in an orgy of egg laying with the copious amounts of rainwater pooled on the forest floor.

Some of the vegetation in the forest had been well smashed down by the force of the rain and the wind carrying it increasing its momentum. But others look just fine, the thimbleberries still blooming fresh flowers even while beside them earlier-blooming flowers are forming their distinctive thimble-shaped red berries. And the thistles now blooming their deep purple-pink flowers have attracted bees for their pollen. The delicate jewelweed were recovering from the battering, and some of the taller ones were sporting blooms.

There were occasional additional light sprinkles, but nothing emphatic enough to warrant getting out the jackets again. By the time we were three-quarters through our lengthy circuit through the forest trails, though, the sky had become quite dark with swiftly-moving dark clouds auguring the arrival of a thunderstorm, and we could in fact hear warning thunder in the distance. By the time we exited the ravine and made our way down the street to our house, the wind had whipped up greater strength and those dark clouds were nearing our location.

Rain did fall, not copiously but sufficiently to inform us that had we still been out we wouldn't have felt like cheering. But it wasn't until an hour later that a really ferocious thunder-and-lightning event rolled overhead and this time a veritable deluge of rain came pelting down. It was nice to be at home, comfortable, admiring of the weather drama taking place outside.