Unexpected day off from hard labor

The road leading to my business is flooded over once again. This flooding happens about 5 or 6 times a year and lasts 24 to 48 hours with access limited if at all to my shop. I drove through early this morning but it has deepened to the point where driving through is no longer an option. I am stuck in my office until further notice. My hope is it will go down by the time I am ready to go home as long as the rain stops soon. Meanwhile, it is my job to find out what to tackle as far as desk and paperwork are concerned. I can assure you, this is not my best talent. However, the coffee is made, both computers are at the ready and I am determined not to waste the opportunity to make a dent in previously neglected tasks. That's the plan. No games, no feeling sorry about the situation, no pitty pot for me, no sirree Bob! Here I go. Enjoy the day!..............

Rain, fun, lightning, writing and being alone

What a pleasant surprise this morning to wake up to a lightning display filling the night skies with a cacophony of fireworks crossing this way and that. Rain pounding the windows and thunder rolling like drums through the darkness. Why in the world I am so fond of these natural wonders goes too far back in my childhood to remember exactly. But, I think perhaps it may be connected with what my folks had us do when torrential storms came. After the threat of lightning passed it was our job as kids to go outside and jump into and splash around in the puddles and temporary rivers, be they in the yard or in the streets. It was exhilarating, refreshing and a welcome relief from the summer heat. When the storms come now I can almost feel the excitement I felt back then. I guess maybe that's it. Whatever, I enjoy summer storms, particularly at night. During the day, one of my greatest pleasures is riding my bicycle in the rain. However, do to a close encounter with a random bolt of lightning hitting a telephone pole just a few feet away from me on one occasion I keep my riding to a minimum when I hear thunder. I can still feel the electricity going into my feet and lower legs resting in a puddle, the numbness in my ears from the loud cracking when it hit and the lingering smell of burning ozone strong enough to tickle the inside of my nose. Still, there is a subtle thrill connected with the whole lightning and rain storm thing.

Today will end with the beginning of a three day holiday weekend. I'm not used to two days off in a row let alone three. Should I plan every minute so as not to waste them or should I fly by the seat of my pants and enjoy the spontaneity of no structure whatsoever? If I was going to be alone for three days I would absolutely not plan at all, I'd just go with the flow. Meet new people, do new things I'd never heard of or considered before, taste new food, go somewhere I've never been, take a nap under a tree somewhere in the middle of the day and savor the experience. A close relative of mine has traveled the world and he has some stories to tell about those travels. Some of the most exciting and thrilling are those unplanned times saturated with the element of surprise. I am not a world traveler but I am certainly up for that element of surprise thing sometime over this weekend. We'll have to see if I manage to have any alone time. I am very comfortable being alone, maybe that is the one thing I should plan eh? Go splash in a puddle in the street maybe. Of course, if I do that I should be ready for a trip in the police cruiser to the hospital for an evaluation too. That'd sure be a new experience.

Cats, dogs, rain, roofs and bicycles

Speaking of animals, it's raining cats and dogs around here. I ran across an explanation for that phrase quite some time ago. Not having the time to verify it I'll accept it as a believable theory for now. It seems that a few centuries back when people built homes out of whatever they could find, the roofs were made from straw or long grass or even clods of sod on a wooden frame. When bad weather came around many of the animals were brought into the home for protection. But, for some reason the cats and dogs were kept in small coveys in the roof. When the rain came down in torrents it washed away part of the roofing and down would come the cats and dogs. Sounds believable to me I guess. I just wonder why the dogs and cats were banished to the roof while pigs and cattle, sheep and mules came inside?

I suppose we all have our unexplainable little quirks don't we? One of my favorite things to do is to walk in the rain. The more rain the better. Riding a bicycle is great too. However, one day I was riding a bicycle on the sidewalk after about 3 inches of rain came down within an hour. I was on the sidewalk because I felt the car drivers had enough to watch out for what with all the puddles and fallen tree branches without dodging a bicycle too. As I looked up from the sidewalk I noticed a truck driver coming in the opposite direction on the road. His eyes were huge and his mouth was open as if to yell something. In another second I found out what it was that caused his discomfort. Bwoosch! Although he tried to avoid it, his tires hit a deep mud puddle in the road as he went by and the wave he created came over me like a Tsunami, splashing me and knocking me over sideways onto the soaked and muddy grass on the side of the road. No injuries but cause for a good laugh I guess. I must have looked like some sort of primeval earth creature. I didn't find any cats or dogs though.

So, there we have it. Cats, dogs, mud puddles and not too aware bicycle riders. One of the greatest gifts of civilization is written history so we may learn from it. That way we don't have to chase our tails looking to break the boredom. And then again, you could just say that I'm all wet!..............Joe