Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.
~Pepper Giardino

After the storm

The rain continues - going on nine straight days. Yesterday was the climax with 15-18 inches of rain falling.

We knew it wasn't a normal day early. I was in a class of fourth graders at 9AM, working on double digit multiplication. Every time thunder boomed or lightning flashed, anxious eyes glanced toward the window and everyone giggled nervously. "My pop-pop and gram have a lake in their backyard," shared one gangly 10 year old. "It thundered all night!" added a pretty, petite girl. The storm sounded like it was directly overhead. I was back in that classroom at 1 and the sound was the same, the children now tired from being anxious.

Georgia is familiar with thunderstorms, so this wasn't new to any of us. What was odd was that it continued, without a let up, for hours. By noon, we were calling parents whose children were scheduled to stay in the afterschool program, asking them to come and pick up their students as early as they could. At 2 we lined up car-riders and cautiously put other children on the busses. Bus drivers deserve praise for the calm way they navigated closed and flooded streets. The office was full of parents coming to pick up children, telling tales of submerged cars and impassable streets. By 4 the school was quiet.

Noon, twenty-four hours later and the sun is out, off and on. The stream behind my house has shrunk down to a reasonable size but the messiness of yesterday is evident everywhere. Children with boots are exploring the stream. I walked the woodland path and had to double back when I reached this washed out bridge. The scenes on TV show we missed the brunt of the flooding - and school is canceled because so many roads are impassable.
The kitten and I are 'working' at the computer -

Mushrooms

It's a rainy night in Georgia ... and day and night and day. We have had an unusual series of rainy days here. We can't really complain very loudly because we just emerged from a 5 year drought! However, things are feeling a little soggy.
Looking on the bright, well.. light side, it is excellent weather for mushrooms. I have never seen such a variety of shapes, sizes and colors of mushrooms. The woods are still mostly green, with the end of summer gangly look so the mushrooms provide a flash of interest. And what was plain jane yesterday is suddenly of interest because of their unusual colors and shapes.
Maybe that is a metaphor for the low spots in life ... when you have gray skys and monontus days look for the mushrooms. Maybe there are little interesting, different things around that we don't notice on rainy days. I just reorganized some photos, which brought back good memories of a summer trip and my skittish kitten is sleeping quietly on my lap (making it difficult to type!) Maybe these are my mushrooms -

Mile high sun

Of course, I can blame the fact I grew up in Colorado - a mile closer to the sun.; or the fact that sunscreen was not part of my life for the most part. Or I could say it is because of my Irish/Scot heritage. But, that doesn't help the fact that as I get older I have a tendency toward age spots and skin cancer. I think the real disquieting thing is there is nothing I can do about it. Maybe that is a realization you just have to come to - when you are young you really don't think anything will happen to your healthy body. But it does, and you really haven't any control over it. I visited my dermotologist when i noticed a spot - she sent me to the surgeon and he cut it out. He repaired the spot with stitches and a skin graft, then sent me home. But, my face is swollen and my nose bandaged for a couple of weeks. Kids at school are open and honest - "What happened?" Adults don't know what to say. I say - "I'll take all the sympathy I can get - and don't forget to wear sunscreen!" My mom says ... remember when I told you to wear zinc oxide on your nose? I'm so sorry!" The thing is ... this has happened before and it will happen again. I'm on my toes. Meanwhile, I am thinking I need one of those funny pig nose masks .... then people will understand with a laugh.