Soggy News and Views

 

What to do when it rains nonstop on a February day!!!

One can spend just so much time inside the house, looking out the window and sighing at the ubiquitous ugliness of winter residue.  

Yesterday's dark, wet, depressing gloom reminded me of the bland, colorless and dead scenes depicted in the George Orwell's world of 1984. 

Not much to get a person excited. 

As one who likes just a scoop or two of excitement each day, I finally convinced myself to just go outside and embrace the misery. 

Turned out it wasn't that bad. 

Bill had gone to drop off Trout Unlimited film show posters in Bonners Ferry and Western Montana. 

I had decided to stay home and work on some projects. 

BUT

One can spend just so much time in the house, working on projects or watching TV.  

So, my trip outside in the pouring rain occurred when the dogs weren't looking. 

With the TV turned up loud and both Bridie and Foster appearing to be in deep snoozes, I put on my outdoor clothes, very carefully opened the door and walked out, quietly pulling the door shut. 

Ahhh!  Free.  

You can now walk around in the pouring rain and squish around in the mud all to your heart's content AND you won't have to towel off dogs when you return to the house. 

Since I did not have my canine friends to watch, I decided to head toward the Meserve Preserve next door.  

Maybe their mud puddles are prettier or more interesting than mine, I reasoned. 

While I was walking that direction on the right-of-way, two vehicles crept by.

We've had some great opportunities over the past couple of weeks to get to know the people who drive back and forth past our house. 

It takes a lot of time for them to do that.

 In fact, I'm figuring that if I walked alongside them on the road, I could learn their whole life history in the time it takes for them to get from our driveway to Meserve's driveway, just a couple of hundred feet north of us. 

I kinda doubt, however, that they'd be too thrilled with my interviewing while trying to direct their vehicle through the mine field of overflowing muddy-water potholes. 

It takes precision, and even being precise will not spare the vehicle's occupants the uncomfortable shock of whiplash while hitting their heads on the ceiling every time the car hits bottom. 

Interestingly, enough, on my way back from the Meserve Preserve, I watched, in total wonder, while a lady (who had no time to wave at me) zipped down that road at a minimum of 40-45 mph.  

I think she employed a little physics knowledge and reasoned that if you try to fly over those holes, you don't spend enough time to suffer the jolts endured by the slow pokes. 

It will be interesting how soon her car arrives in a local shop for a complete re-alignment.  

The road activity was interesting and a nice diversion from sitting in the house, but the real excitement came when I entered the Meserve Preserve. 

Their mud puddles might look the same as ours but the general scenery was enough different yesterday that I felt like I'd entered rain-soaked Heaven. 

The Meserve Preserve barn, more than 100 years old, stood there in all its rustic and historic elegance.  

I've taken many pictures of the barn before, but yesterday seemed a little special, as the rain wash it was receiving enhanced its individual character and beauty. 

My appetite for concentrating on the individual parts of a general scene received instant satisfaction as I walked along and looked at shrubbery and bird houses and even an old shovel propped against the barn. 

I wondered when the implement had gotten its last use. 

Nothing beats old barn wood on a rainy day.  Again, the light is perfect for studying its grain and the old rust-covered nails which have held it in place for years. 

The trip next door achieved exactly what I had hoped:  refreshing but wet air, colorful and pleasantly beautiful but decadent scenes in the midst of late winter dormancy and, most importantly a diversion from the feeling of the blahs that so often evolve with too much time indoors.  

Today we'll get a break from the rain.  It's coming in the form of fog.  I don't know how long the pothole season is this year, but I can attest that we have a prolific crop. 

It's February, and creativite approaches to the mundane are a must for emotional survival. 

The Meserve Preserve (thank you, Becky) did it for me yesterday.  We'll see what happens today when the fog lifts. 

Happy Wednesday.