It’s here! I just received a copy of A Berkshire Tale written by dear blogging friend and fellow author Claremary Sweeney! I sent this message to her and am sharing it with all of you because it reminded me of an earlier post where I attempted to describe the feelings I’d had in the magical place mentioned below.
Hi, Clare. Your beautiful book arrived yesterday but I just got and opened the mail today. Thank you for the kind and lovely inscription. I’m touched by it. Your book is gorgeous. I treasure the opportunity to experience your creation for the first time and am planning how best to savor it. It will be while I’m sitting alone outside near my tiny redwood and fern garden with rain falling all around. I love rain. We have an open but covered area that is perfect for savoring rain, nature, and other beautiful things. I’ve made many treasured memories there. It seems to me to be an ideal place to experience glimpses of your spirit though your writing.
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Rain Magic and Memories
I write this while sitting outside in a heavy downpour. I sit in the open, just covered by the edge of an overhang, about as near the rain as one can be without getting soaked. Large drops splatter so close I feel the cool mist on my face. The intoxicating fragrance of the sweet freshness of rain falling on aromatic flowers tantalizes my nostrils and speaks to my spirit, promising life, growth, and abundance.
Raindrops caress silky petals, gifting them with nature’s pearls, sparkling with the radiance of diamonds. Enhanced by such elegant adornments each blossom seems to beam with pride.
Two wind chimes vie for my attention with moving melodies created in their timeless dance with the wind. One passionately proclaims of romantic young lovers; the other softly whispers of the precious love of couples who have made and shared a lifetime of memories.
For a moment, I’m tempted to stand in the downpour, reveling in the physical sensations it offers. Memories flow of such times. The staccato tapping on my head and shoulders, the way it caresses with cold fingers as it slides down my face, brings chills to my spine, and whispers ever so softly as it falls from my ears.
My sweet reverie is interrupted as the rain falls no more, but my smile and memories linger…
With Love,
Russ
Russ Towne's A Grateful Man 
Congratulations, Claremary Sweeney. Bravo. 😀
And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. A Berkshire Tale is almost a year old and it seems to be making so many friends for me that I could never reach from my little state of Rhode Island. Russ is definitely one of those friends I cherish.
Yes, Russ is a generous soul. ❤
😇
Thank you for a post I liked and congratulations to Claremary
Joanne, Russ knows how important settings are to me. The fact that he is taking my book to one of his special settings to read means a lot to me. Thank you for your note, it is truly appreciated. Clare
congrats to claremary and what a sweet letter –
Russ has given me much of his time and has been so supportive of my writing. His letter today really brought a ray of sunshine to my day. (Although I know how much he loves the rain) Thank you for your good wishes, too.
What a lovely poem…the words resonate so well especially after such an extended drought. Joy and elation as body and soul are quenched for the moment.
Thank you, Mrs. P. Yes, the drought has made me appreciate rain even more than how much I’d cherished it before.
Russ
My thoughts as well.
Russ, this was a lovely surprise. It’s midnight here on the East Coast. I just settled in to read your blog and what a surprise! I’ll repeat here what I said in my email to you yesterday: I’ve been reading your books to a little girl who visits me often. She loves the stories and the pictures and we never put them away. We leave them on the rocking chair for her next visit. Thank you for all of your time and support, my friend. Love, Clare
Time with you is time well spent, my friend. Supporting you is a pleasure. I’m delighted by your reaction to the surprise. Visions of you and the little girl enjoying my books together warm my heart. It is always wonderful to hear that my books bring joy to others, especially when being experienced with children and adults reading them together. Thank you for all the wonderful ways you touch my life, Clare.
Love,
Russ
You are quite welcome, Russ, and the feeling is mutual.Wishing you bright sunshine and soft raindrops.☀️⛈🌤Love, Clare