…is an old song written by Roger Hodgson while he was with Supertramp. That oldie but goodie reflects our recent reality. Roger lives in my old home town in NorCal, by the way. I never got to meet him but he did record a live album at the Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City which is the same venue in which John and I were married. Trivial trivia.
So yeah, rain. Rain and more rain. There is no need for you to placate me with reminders of how the flowers need the rain or that if it weren’t for rain, there’d be no rainbows blahblahblah, I know all of that. I actually like the rain. Most of the time. But not everyday for days on end. Even I, with my half-full cup perspective on life needs that cup to be filled with sunshine every now and again, not only with rain. Of course, ones’ thirst cannot be quenched with sunshine…
“A rainy day is a perfect time for a walk in the woods”–Rachel Carson. We have hiked many times in the rain and we did take a walk this morning, during the brief break in the rain, and a lovely walk it was into the verdant forest. There was lusciousness everywhere we looked — so much green of the ferns, moss, and grasses; a lot of flowers showing wear and tear from, you guessed it, the rain; and a continuation of the eerie fog that is part of this northeastern summer weather pattern.
So, what to do with all of this rain? As I mentioned above, we will often go out in it to hike, because dressed appropriately, the rain is tolerable. However, cameras and binoculars get wet which makes viewing through the lenses tedious, and carrying an umbrella while trying to hold binocs can be awkward. If we’ve already hiked or biked for the day, or if the rain is torrential, we stay cozy inside of Vanda. John looks at his photos. Always. Me? I might write another blog post or in my personal journal, I might take out my drawing paper and pencils, perhaps I will cook up a complicated dinner as I did last eve while it rained: fresh guac, black bean and corn soup, nachos, and salad [I always grate the cheese myself, chop the garlic, and peel the cilantro leaves from the stems which adds steps to the meal prep], followed by baking a fresh apricot cobbler. That all took me a while to complete so rainy time was well spent. We have games in the van–Boggle and Rummikub–yet I can count on one hand the number of times we have played either or both of those during these past 18 months! We like games, but they are more fun in a family gathering than in a one-on-one situation.
Napping is a true luxury, a delicious activity which is somehow more delightful during a rain. So yes, I have awakened from today’s rain nap, and am now writing this blog. The sun is supposed to come out later this afternoon, so we will have another walkabout before dinner. My hiking shoes are wet, our towels are taking a long time to dry with the 97% humidity, and generally, everything outside is soggy. Nothing a good rainy day walk won’t cure. I will agree with Rachel Carson on this.
