4 posts tagged “rain”

I thought the time change would mean I would stay up later and wake up later, but in fact I was already tired by 10 while still doing laundry and some stuff for work, in bed just after 11, and thankfully asleep right about midnight. I took the time to lay out today's outfit and put my laptop and other necessities in one place ready to go for the morning. I thought today would be such a nice smooth morning...I should have checked the weather report.

My first alarm went off and I kinda yawned and thought, oh good, a few more minutes to stay in bed until the second alarm. And then just as I was drifting back into my fifteen minutes of sleep, I heard a strange noise...loud and rumbling and I could sort of feel it in the house. My eyes popped open in amazement...seriously the loudest rolling crack of thunder I have heard in a long time. Almost simultaneously I heard a commotion right outside my bedroom door. So I jumped out of bed, threw open the door and Evita launched herself into my room. Poor thing. She does not like the thunder. (And when I think of the years she was forced to sleep outside, even in the rain...grrrr.) But I think we were both surprised by her bounce past me into my room. We just kinda stared at eachother--she had a look that said, "What the hell was that?!" She must have been jolted out of sleep because as soon as I put my slippers on and started to walk down the hallway, she followed quickly. (She's a good girl; she knows she's not supposed to be in my bedroom. Trust me, she has a great life despite the fact that my allergies won't let her in my room.)

It's almost 3 hours later and the rain's still coming down, the sky is filled with clouds down to the treetops, and the roads are a mess. (Austin's a great town, but these folks just can't drive in the rain. It's a fact. And ice? Fuggetaboutit.) So it's a work-from-home Monday after all. I don't like working from home on Mondays. I have so many meetings that I have to call in for that it's much more sensible for me to be in office to handle them. But I'm on a call even as I write this--it's winding down and we're in the part where little input if any has ever been needed from me. So, I will make do.

I had planned to run at lunch today, but my body is achy from plyos and other quad work I did over the weekend, not to mention the running, and I'm wondering if I shouldn't take it easy today after all...but I'll probably try to get some yoga in just to keep myself moving.

But first things first...last night I dreamt...of pancakes. In the dream I kept trying to make some and people and things kept coming up and getting in the way! So now, pancakes it is! Who says dreams can't come true?

back in austin this week. sunshine, rain, sunshine, rain. luckily i'm well away from all the flooding. came home, though, to find the grass in the backyard three feet high and the dogs trooping through with only ears and tails visible. that would have been comical if we didn't have to worry about snakes in the area. so i finally had a chance to cut the grass on friday night -- yes, friday night in the dark; yes, it was probably not the smartest idea, especially because i was too lazy to go back inside and turn on the porch and motion lights when it got dark, but hey, i did it and no harm done. i raked up an entire trash can of clippings and the dogs seemed amazed to be able to see their paws.

had to clean out and organize the old office yesterday. my sister is coming to visit for just over a month and i needed to make room in the guest closet. so i tossed and piled and moved furniture, and came across my wonderful valentine's letter, though i only read a few lines, opting instead to let that emotional landslide happen later in the day. anyhow, i cleaned and set up my desk and now the office has my stamp on it. it looks like my room now. and i hate it. i fucking hate it. the only thing i like is the pen sketch of downtown el paso that i put in my old diploma frame and hung on the wall. i'm hoping it will help me to keep my dreams close.

spent the rest of the day with a couple of friends in austin. we met up at a azul for a drink and then went mrs. bea's bar on east 6th for the jesse canales classic car show and barbecue benefit. mr. canales is my neighbor across the street and has been in the hospital for nigh on 2 months for a heart condition, complications from surgery due to diabetes, etc. his wife belinda is very sweet and served me and my friends our barbecue plates even though i'd lost our tickets. (it may have helped that i removed a live tarantula from her front door the other day.) the food was good, the cars were sweet, the beer was COLD, and the jukebox inside was playing music circa el paso 1975. i'm entertaining the idea of making it a permanent part of my austin writing life.

we went swimming after, drank and stayed in the water 'till eleven, then went to magnolia for oatmeal. overall it was a great day but that drive home was looooooong. today is a day for rest, hope, and renewal. may your day hold much of the same.

"think of it this way," julio said, "more source material for the next story."

i'm checking the weather on my cell phone, rather checking to see if this is just bad rain or deadly rain.

"stranded at hula hut..." julio laughs.

hula hut? yes, that's where i was tonight. on the lake, surrounded--surprisingly--by many who keep austin weird, in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. the tv in the bar finally switched to local radar and we see a bright pink cell directly overhead. (for those of you not in the know about news 8 austin, pink means grab your ankles and kiss your ass good-bye.)

ok, it wasn't that bad, but it was coming down in buckets and apparently getting worse all the way down I-35--my route home--so i was weighing the options of 'should i stay or should i go'...when a flash of lightning crackles out on the lake and the lights flicker off for a moment.

ok then, stay. for a while anyway.

and i start thinking...stranded at hula hut? ha. it wasn't fear exactly, just the observation that this is definitely not how i would want to go. and something sounded familiar too...what was it?

ah yes...stranded at the drive-in...branded a fool...what will they say...mon-day at schooool

not 2 hours after the previous entry, my poor nissan pathfinder ceased forward motion a block from heather's school. alas, it had to be towed. heather's art teacher gave us a ride to pick erich up from tennis practice and then the cousins (did i mention my godmother is also my aunt?) and i relied on the kindness of neighbors--a relative term when homes are on multi-acre lots--from the emergency phone list to get us home. maybe there IS something in the cliche of country folk and hospitality. half a dozen people must have stopped to see if we were okay and if we had help coming.

the chill returns tomorrow along with clouds. rain should come on saturday. good. it may match my mood by then.

donations to revive the pathfinder will be gladly accepted--but only from strangers. methinks it's the transmission. woe is i. the husband is rebelling against the idea of being a one car household, but what choice have we? super scheduling and car pool planning await. a horse, my kingdom for a horse...or a well-designed, on-time, safe and clean mass-transit system.