Rainy Day Wardrobe

Rainy and windy. Windy and rainy. And I am not complaining!

I did, however, plan to run this morning - something I have taken up again now that the outdoor temperature has dipped down to liveable degrees. At 9:30 am, I got out of my jammers (because when you work out of your home, you are allowed to work at your desk in your jammers till... whenever!), and I put on my running pants, t-shirt, jacket (because the house was 66º), and my running shoes. It was raining - nay, pouring! Cats and dogs! And little fishes, too! But the hour-by-hour online weather stated that at 10:00 am, there would be no rain. I took this online weather channel at its word.

Its word was wrong.

I think it rained all day long. That's OK, though, because we really, really needed the rain. Even though I traipsed through the rain to run errands at the grocery store and the post office and USDA (that would be that Spouse o' Mine's office), and my cello lesson. Rain, rain, rainy-rain.

Then I got home, still wearing my running clothes, still in my Pollyanna mindset that the cloud cover might break and I could have a quick jaunt down the road. Such was not to be.

Well, next on my agenda was feeding animals and frolicking with the bloodhound. The thing with Beau the bloodhound is that he has a need, a deep need, to exert energy enough to burn off several million calories every day. If a human or other canine is not around to support his need, he will find ways to burn off this stored energy on his own, and his activity is often seen as unacceptable by us humans. (Chewing up his toys, chewing off the tree limbs, digging little holes all over the dog yard, chewing on dog bowls, lawn mower handles, little paper pieces found in the burn pile...) well! You might get the picture. I suspect this was the reason his former owners searched for a new home for him.

Lesson to anybody thinking about a pet: if you are a young married couple, with one toddler and a baby, let me just tell you: that adorable (and I stress ADORABLE) little (and I stress LITTLE) bloodhound puppy you are thinking about purchasing will in no way fit into your fine little family in 12 more months. Don't even consider a pet whose potential weight will be 120 lbs by the time he is 18 months old, with an energy level that rises exponentially with each month and inch of growth. Sheesh. I cannot even imagine what Beau's former owners were thinking when they purchased him.

But boy, am I digressing; I was talking about rain. As I stepped out of my running clothes and hung them by the wayside for another day, I put on some already-worn old grey sweatpants and brown sweatshirt. Old socks. Boots. Hat and old gloves. Rain and bloodhound clothes!

Off I went to feed animals and to frolic with the giant puppy. Not to neglect our smaller-yet-still-large dog, Biserka the Bouvier. She wants attention, too, but not the rollicking frolic that Beau requires. So I spent quality time with both dogs, in the rain, mud, and wind.

When that Spouse o' mine came home from work, I came in. I pulled off the boots, the hat, and the gloves. I stripped off the sweat pants and sweatshirt. I thought. Hmm... not so bad just yet that they couldn't be used for another canine frolic in the rain and mud. Not clean, though. Hang them next to the running clothes.

I need some pegs in the mudroom for all activities of my day, jammers through mud-frolic, and in-between.

Something New, Week #5

I am halfway through my 12 Weeks of New and out of Rutsville.
What new thing did I learn or do this past week?

Grad Student Gillian and I went to an art gallery in Kansas City to see this artist's work.

(In that we know the sculptor pretty well,
that did not fall into the 12 Weeks of New category.)

But the gallery was really nice and had some terrific paintings and sculpture in it.

After our cultural excursion, Gillian and I headed north to the City Market.
More specifically, to the Ethiopian restaurant.
I have never eaten Ethiopian cuisine.
Delicious!
A new experience!

I stopped at Barnes & Noble on the trip home to search out an Ethiopian cookbook.
I didn't find exactly what I was looking for,
so that will be put on the back burner for another day...

My Week...

I anticipate that this entry is going to be ramblings. For some reason, my week did not follow a schedule, a plan, or even a path. My week just meandered.

Sunday, I sat in a meeting alongside a lady who proceeded to sneeze a kabillion times. Right beside me. She would sneeze, maybe eight times in a row, and let me tell you, these were not ladylike "choosies", these were major "clear the sinus passages" explosions, and then she would blow her nose, then sneeze maybe six times, hack a bit, blow her nose, then start sneezing again. I was totally grossed out. I really wanted to excuse myself, since this lady was NOT. I am such an anti-germ fanatic, this scene was played into my mind as horrible.

And then we move on to Monday. Monday held a funeral for a friend, a kind and gentle acquaintance. Not sad so much, because with the cancer-stricken, there is a time to go. And this friend had told her family and friends this summer that at age 70+, she was forgoing any more cancer treatment. She was done with that. I loved her kind spirit and her smile, her kind words, her marriage to her husband, her kids...wow. What a wonderful role model she is.

Tuesday was cello lesson. Not too bad! Some lessons of late have been frustrating, but I enjoyed this week, and have been practicing and practicing, and so maybe, after a few weeks of what has felt like no-progress-whatsoever, I might see the light at the end of the Handel's Largo tunnel. Maybe.

Wednesday, nothing to speak of. I went running in the rain and snowflakes. That was enjoyable.

Thursday we had a friend out for dinner, and that was really fun. It's fun to have people out who challenge our minds, and yet have such a great sense of humor. Thanks, Irakli.

Today: Friday! I had plans to visit the ranch-neighbors' bull sale, but phone calls and such delayed that, and then the weather past noon was such that I took a 7.5 mile excursion across the countryside. It wasn't a clear run. It entailed some walking in the 35 mph southerly wind. Especially those inclines. Anyone who thinks Kansas is flat? Come visit us in the Flint Hills. I stopped by the Downey Ranch on my way home, but the auctioneers had already gone home, I guess, and all I could see were cattle being loaded into trailers to move to their next homes. I went on home as well.

And then...late afternoon...I started feeling kind of punk. Kind of...maybe I was getting a cold? Was I running a fever? DO I have a sinus headache?! Am I cold?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!!! IS THIS FROM SUNDAY'S MEETING WITH THE SNEEZER??!

Stay tuned...

Wordless Wednesday

Things At Which I am Good

Knowing that I should NEVER end a phrase with a preposition.

Baking chocolate chip cookies.

Foreign languages.

Waking up early.

Getting lost.

Making morning "index card" lists.

Parties and potlucks.

"Relaxed" gardening. (Lax gardening?)

Laughing.

Memorizing music.

Traveling.

Changing the subject from politics to anything else.

Cooking.

Talking to complete strangers.

Serving tea.