(Tom Jirik wrote columns in several newspapers in Iowa from the late 1980’s to the mid 1990’s.  This column originally appeared in the The Boone Today) 

For you vocabulary builders out there who like to lean a new word every so often, you may want to try “ubiquitous.”

Then, if someone asks you what you think of all the rain we’ve been having, you can say,” I think it’s very ubiquitous.”  Whoever is asking you about the rain is certain to be impressed with your language skills.  And because ubiquitous means something that is “constantly encountered ” and “widespread,” you’ll be absolutely correct.  In fact, ubiquitous seems to be the perfect word for describing Boone’s recent rainy weather patterns.

Sunday’s weather was not ubiquitous, however.  The skies were blue.  The few clouds that could be seen were fluffy and white.  There weren’t any of the ubiquitous rain clouds around.  The temperature and humidity, while trending toward the sticky side, were not unbearable.  It was a marvelous day.

You couldn’t step outside without smelling someone’s barbecue.  People were walking and biking and hiking and generally enjoying outdoor pastimes all day long.  And they were all smiling.  It was amazing.

There’s no denying that the rain has had its effect on attitudes.  Farmers, especially, have suffered much stress at the hands of Mother Nature this spring.  I overheard one area farmer comment that he thought all of this rain was worse than a drought.  “It seems like you can always find something to do when it’s too dry, but all you can do is worry when it’s rainy,” he said.

Farmers probably have the best reason to be stressed and depressed, but we’ve all been grouchy and crabby.  A few hours of Sunday’s sunshine effected a wonderful change on just about everyone.

And despite the damage to local crops and morale, the rain has made the area’s vegetation as lush as it’s ever been.  The countryside displayed a brilliant emerald green under Sunday’s sun.

But the weather prognosticators again are predicting persistent precipitation for the rest of the week.  And so it seems that the situation faced by area farmers will become even more dire and the rest of us will be doomed to drizzly dispositions.

Will this rain ever end?

Sunday’s sunshine, however brief, gives us hope.  That’s why we watch the sky, hoping for a break in the clouds.  We long for a string of days with Sunday’s sunshine.  It would be wonderful to feel the sun on our arms kick up a little dust in the fields.

Wouldn’t it be nice to look up a the sun and say,” Isn’t this sunshine ubiquitous?”