Rain Watch

Life isn't about waiting 

for the storm to pass. 

It's about learning how to 

dance in the rain...


- Vivian Greene

Last week we spent much time and energy waiting and watching for rain.

All over the television and radio weather forecasters speculated, hoped and dreamed of rain for our parched land.

As we got closer, with certainty, the forecasters predicted, changed their minds, and admonished us about how slick the roads would be with all the oil build up in these dry, dry months.

We have been in the middle of yet another great renovation adventure.

Each time it seems like it will be "easy" and then the reality of a house filled to the brim with junk sinks in.

All of the crap my father put outside for the floors to be put in were mostly still outside -- usually not a problem at all.  And all the scraps of rug, rug pad, and other detritus had joined the crap on the front lawn. 

But rain was coming ...

As we surveyed the lot of it, it was dificult to tell the difference between the keepers and the trash.  At least for me...

Despite the week of detailed prognostication, my dad waited until the very last minute to bring in the junk in a mad rush of moving, bundling, covering and arguing.

All day, my dad had asked me for the weather update -- and every few hours, the time the rain would arrive changed.  The dark clouds had been menacing all day ... usually a bad sign because often that meant it was raining somewhere else and we *might* get a drop or two of their leftovers.

In our house, it is a rule that if it doesn't say at least 80% chance of rain, we don't believe we will see any rain.

And, of course, all of this on Halloween -- I was anxiously awaiting CHILDREN in COSTUMES since none ever approached my apartment thinking students too cheap to buy candy.

There we were, as the sun was setting, madly trying to get it all in...somewhere.

Long after I gave up *helping* and turned my attention to the trick-or-treaters, mom and dad were cutting up and bundling rug to "hide" it in the back of my dad's pick up.  Rain soaked it would weigh at least three times.

After all was said or done ... around 10:30pm, the rain came.

It pounded so hard for the first thirty minutes, I almost believed those last forecasts of lightning. But we didn't see any lights ... just rain.

I went to sleep to the sound of rain -- windows open -- and woke up to it, too.

By 9:00am the next morning, there were only puddles here and there.  But the plants were happy, the carpet trash was safe in the truck and everything else "dry" in its various hiding places.

Oh ... and my car almost looks like it was washed.