Hey look guys, more rain. Didn't anyone tell that group of concerned citizens and pastors that they could stop praying for an end to the drought? Did they go on vacation to some remote tropical island that doesn't get the Weather Channel?
Maybe I need a hobby. Today I found myself lifting the lid of the washing machine to watch the clothes agitate. I saw a feather float by and counted the seconds until it resurfaced. I contemplated how badly I wanted to dive in after a pencil stub. There's something kinda creepy to me about sticking my arm way down into the bottom of a full washer. (Yes Dad, I turned it off first.) It's like something might bite my fingers off and then how will I turn the clothes right side out?
One nice thing about lingering over the wash load is the heat. What's with this weather? Yesterday I blasted the air conditioning and today I've cranked up the furnace. I mean, there's just something a little disconcerting about getting mentally and physically acclimated to sunscreen and bug repellent season then being forced to remember at what temperature the thermostat will activate the heat.
My friend e-mailed this morning. Her husband has the week off from work and has taken over the household chores, including her two little boys. She's going to spend this gray day working on her scrapbooks, reading, and napping. Sounds heavenly to me. Except I still have this laundry to do, dinner to defrost, and killer dustbunnies under every horizontal surface in this home on which I could possibly nap. The fear of them revolting and eating me in my sleep would keep me from relaxing let alone closing my eyes. My dog has no fear of dustbunnies, just cats. He's been napping all day and I'm quite envious.
I thought about making a nice big pot of chili for supper, but realized I didn't have all the ingredients. We'll eat toast for dinner before I go out to the grocery store in this weather. Even the idea of running next door to Racheal's to borrow some beans is daunting. Maybe if I call her she'll cut out a little mast from a paper plate, glue it to a straw, tape the whole thing to the beans and sail them on over.
One good thing about all this rain is that it makes me glad I didn't wash my windows or my car over the weekend. I'll have to remember the ever-possible threat of rain the next time I'm tempted to do something as silly as window washing. Perfectly good waste of a sunny day and all that stuff.
I suppose I should take advantage of being stuck inside to catch up on some bill paying, closet cleaning, and ironing. Then again, I think I'll go see what the spin cycle looks like.
Karen Rinehart is a magazine humor columnist, public speaker and the creator of The Bus Stop Mommies, a newspaper. She is also author of Invisible Underwear, Bus Stop Mommies and Other Things True To Life. You can read more of her work at karenrinehart.net. Karen lives in Concord, North Carolina with her two kids, one husband and goofball dog, where they attend St. James Catholic Church. (Well, they leave the dog at home.) She enjoys hearing from readers across the States and as far away as Australia, Japan and England.
