Rainy days and…Wednesdays
I have a love hate relationship with rain. The forecast this week is rain, rain and more rain. Now, believe me when I tell you that I know with every fiber of my being that this is better than snow. I’m not looking for sympathy. Just wanted to ruminate on this particular kind of rainy day.
In Florida, you can usually set your clock by our thunderstorms in summertime. I used to schedule my college classes so that I wasn’t moving between buildings or going to my car any time between three and five, when the deluge (replete with lightning and thunder…and my area is the lightning capital of North America) was at its worst. But these springtime showers are unpredictible and can last days.
One day, like yesterday, wasn’t bad. I had a lot of work to do when I’d much have preferred to spend the day in bed, but the gentle patter of the rain and the fact that my dog didn’t want to go outside and chase squirrels every five minutes really meant I accomplished quite a bit.
Can’t say I enjoy rainy day dismissal from school, though. I park pretty far away and the walk to school is a minefield of very deep puddles. The fact that my daughter has a rolling backpack that is currently making a valiant quest toward lasting to the end of the school year thanks to many strips of duct tape made going back to the car a rather interesting trek.
And let’s not even talk about what rain and humidity do to my hair. One of the moms asked afterschool why I had the hood up on my hoodie…it was a vain attempt at keeping my hair straight, although, since I knew this was futile, also kept everyone from seeing how my hair curls in about twelve different directions when not tamed by my straightening iron.
Tonight, I’m looking forward to curling into bed with a good book and reading to the sound of the gentle rain. No lightning, no thunder, just the rhythmic patter of water tickling the windows.
Since I’ve only had one day of non-stop percipitation, I can wax poetic. By this afternoon, I’ll be screaming for sunlight. I’ll be wondering aloud how people in Seattle and London can possibly deal with all the gray. I’ll be cursing the morons who seem to forget all the rules of common sense and traffic laws just because they have to use their windshield wipers. I’ll be searching the internet for a new sunlamp and perhaps pricing vacations to the Caribbean.
But for now, I’m just going to enjoy the rain.
How do you feel about the rain?
PS…pray for me. I’m chaperoning a 3rd grade field trip today, in the rain, on a bus, to the other side of town to see a 3-D movie about bugs. I’ll be back this afternoon to respond to comments…if I survived!
Hey Julie, good luck with all those kids! Hope you have fun, though that might be a challenge if it involves bugs.
I love rainy days…when I don’t have to work. Today we’re supposed to get a rain/snow mix - just glorious. Ha! But a rainy day where I can be lazy and read is heaven.
Comment by Stacy ~ — April 11, 2007 @ 6:25 am
I prefer the rain, to snow. I don’t have to shovel it. I love rainy days and t-storms.
Which is what is predicted for tomorrow. I have no sympathy.
On the other hand, chaperoning 3rd graders?? Thank god mine is an adult.
Comment by ev — April 11, 2007 @ 6:37 am
It all depends on what you have to do in the rain … I hate driving in it. I’d rather drive in snow … though at this point, perfer it just be sunny and a little warm. Good Luck with the field trip!
Comment by Yolanda — April 11, 2007 @ 8:06 am
I don’t mind rain as much as I hate snow. But since I live in West Michigan, I have to live with unpredictable weather including snow in April. Of course today is one of the many days we are supposed to have a rainy mixture with ice/snow. I would rather be in bed with a good book or watching a good movie on tv. Of course It could be snow that we are getting today, so I am thankful that it is not. I can’t wait till the weather warms up and I get to see leaves on trees and beautiful flowers. I can handle the rain as long as its not down pouring or thundering/lightening when I have somewhere to be. I would soon rather be in bed than caught out in that disasterous day of downpour.
Comment by Mary — April 11, 2007 @ 8:15 am
Good luck with the kids today. I have to say I don’t think I could watch a 3-D movie about bugs…but hope you have fun. I love rain…if I can stay at home all day and nap, watch tv, and not have to drive in it or go to work. As today is Wednesday, the massive amount of rain we are going to get means I will have to deal with it all day…and from work. I’m still pretty good with it until the tornado warnings hit. We are all still a little gun shy this year in Nashville after the huge tornado that hit last April just north of the city. The weather man didn’t say anything about tornados this morning, but the wind is really blowing with the rain right now.
Comment by Liza — April 11, 2007 @ 9:00 am
well im not at all jelous of you taking all those kids on a field trip..lol.. but i am jelous of your spring rains, concidering North Iowa is in the midst of a late season freak blizzard… its nasty outside.. just last week i was wearing shorts to work..lol
Comment by Jolene — April 11, 2007 @ 9:12 am
I guess you described my feelings pretty well, too - love/hate relationship. Right now, we desperately need the rain. I feel like I’m back in the desert again. Our lake is so low that I’m pretty sure the ducks aren’t swimiming, I really think they’re just skimming their butts across the bottom of the pond at this point. We’ve been under fire warning conditions for about a week. So…rain is a good thing.
However, I’m in Ohio and I’ll be driving back in the rain - 8 hours, rain forecast all the way.
That, I hate! If I could just curl up in bed, or even just be in my house accomplishing a few things and enjoying the rain, I’d love it.
However, having said all that - I’d much rather be driving 8 hours (or even 18 hours) in a driving rain than spending even 1 hour with a bunch of 3rd graders watching a movie on bugs.
Comment by Jodie — April 11, 2007 @ 10:24 am
I love the rain when I can stay home and cuddle up with a good book or hot man.
Actually, it reminds me of my Uncle Joe who lived with us and passed away when I was 12. He taught me to enjoy a good rainy day, it reminded him home (MS) and since those days are so few and far between in NV, they are definetly treasured. However, I HATE to drive in the rain, since the roads are so slick and the residents have no clue how to drive in the rain. I had to take my driver’s test on a flood filled day and so I only got a 95%, the roads were way slick and very scary to drive.
Since we live in a valley whenever it rains it floods. When my oldest was 1 yr. old and I was expecting my second we were on the way home from grannys and got stuck in flood water. It took us nearly 2 hours to make a 10 minute drive. I kept thinking I would end up being one of those people on the news climbing on top of my car with my baby.:oops: Thank God that didn’t happen.
Jule, gotta say I am so impressed with the bug movie. I couldn’t imagine sitting through that. In all my chaperoning experiences the kids are great! Have fun!
Comment by Debbie — April 11, 2007 @ 10:29 am
Julie, I would love to have some of your rain! I’m in south central Va. and we’ve been in somewhat of a drought for the last two years. It’s cloudy today and there is a chance of rain. I can only hope. I want to open my pool the first of May and I’d rather let Mother Nature take care of filling it up then my backyard water hose!
P.S. Good luck with the 3rd graders.
Comment by Carol — April 11, 2007 @ 10:34 am
I like a good thunderstorm, nothing better then to curl up on the couch and read while it is pouring outside.
Right now I am sick of snow (hard to believe I know), but it isn’t supposed to snow in April!! I am off today and we have a chance of rain/snow. I also have to go out today in search of something to wear this weekend.
It is a big anniversary sale at the store this weekend and on Saturday we can wear our favorite styles from the past decades. I am going to a new Salvation army store to see if I can find something to wear.
Comment by BadBarb — April 11, 2007 @ 11:09 am
I love the rain (hello, I live in the PNW). I loved it more before kids (they get bored with a lot of rain). Nothing like curling up with your sweetie listening to the rain.
Have fun on your field trip!
Comment by katie — April 11, 2007 @ 11:36 am
Julie, Here in L.A. we go literally *years* without it. For the most part if I don’t have to drive in it, I love it, but, it’s few & far between.
Good luck with the bug movie–yuck!
Patricia A.
Comment by Patricia — April 11, 2007 @ 11:37 am
I love a good rainy day. Just get snuggled up on the couch with a good book. Would love to that today. Unfortunately I’ve got work up to my eyeballs. I also have this CD called For A Rainy Day that has some wonderful classical music on it. I love the feeling that music evokes — same as a rainy day.
Comment by Kelly R. — April 11, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
Hey Julie.
As long as it doesn’t rain for days on end, or during a vacation, I don’t mind it. Saves me watering the gardens. 
However, here in CNY we’re still getting snow — the temp is in the 40s today, but that’s low even for us this time of year. We’ve had 1 1/2 sunny days, but tonight the ick is supposed to move back in, though snow is only forecasted for higher elevations, still, even a dusting is offensive about now.
A hot, sultry day, even with rain, would be just fine with me right now. But we’re heading to FL in June, and I hope it doesn’t rain then!
Sam
Comment by Sam Hunter — April 11, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
I love the rain! What can I say. However, I don’t love the rain when we have it for weeks on end with no sun. Here where I am in northern California we had rain this morning but now the sun is out. We have had a somewhat dry winter so I don’t mind some rain, in fact I wish we were getting more today as we need it. I just peeked outside, we might get a little more rain it is hard to tell! -
When my kids were in school I chaperoned on a lot of field trips & always loved it. It is so fun to watch the little kids & their wonder & excitement. The only field trip I never went on was one that was on a twisty road as to many kids would get car sick–I let others chaperone on that one!! I’ll come back to check & see if you share any stories with us about the field trip.
Comment by Donna M — April 11, 2007 @ 1:04 pm
P.S. I love all the “rain” pictures. Thanks.
Comment by Donna M — April 11, 2007 @ 1:06 pm
I used to live in Vancouver where it rained all the time. You just learned to live with it. I now live in the San Diego area and it rarely rains. Now I miss the rain.
I never said I was rational
:love2:
Comment by Samantha — April 11, 2007 @ 1:11 pm
Today I would love to have rain…maybe because it is presently snowing like crazy here in Minnesota. At least I don’t have to shovel rain like I do all this white stuff.
Comment by Shari C — April 11, 2007 @ 1:44 pm
im scared to death of thunder and lightning
but rain doesnt bother me the least i like the sound of rain on a tin roof ….its very soothing . here in kentucky i think we have already had all the rain we are going to get today it rain early this morning here and the sun is out 
Comment by Nancy M — April 11, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
THEY LIED!
I’m going to go out with my camera so you guys can see what a GLORIOUSLY beautiful day it is here in Florida. OH! I want to go to the BEACH. Can’t, but I want to!
Survived the 3-D, IMAX, close-up of the Praying Mantis (my LEAST favorite bug…as if I have any favorite…Ladybugs? No, they’re creepy, too) eating the head off a fly. And though we followed the life cycle of a little catepillar who turns into a beautiful butterfly, the PM eats it at the end, too! I kept hoping the PM would get his head bit off by his female mate, but apparently, he did wonderful things with those antennae of his.
I survived fine…but I need a nap.
Comment by Julie Leto — April 11, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
Wow, so many rainbirds! As a transplant Oregonian who’s now in Northern California (waves to Donna M) I don’t think my home state ever left me. I love the rain. It cancels that little league game I’ve been dreading, cleans the air, waters my lawn, washes the pigeon poop off the sidewalks….the list goes on.
Rain I can deal with under any circumstances, but not WIND! That’s the worst of all weather, IMO. Anything else, you can handle, but heavy wind is not fun indoors or out and makes life generally miserable.
But like Donna said, we’re back to sunshine here in Wine Country. Maybe I like the rain so much because down here we aren’t living in it 9 mos out of the year!
Comment by Lori Borrill — April 11, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
I, too, grew up in the Lightning Capital of the World (Central FL) and I absolutely HATE lightning. Rain I love. There’s nothing better than laying out on the couch (whenever I hear curl up, I think of the fetal position) and watching my favorite DVD’s. A book is good, too, if I’m home alone. And then you MUST have some Ben & Jerry’s to go along with it.
It’s raining here in GA today, so I don’t think I’ll cook dinner. The rain kind of zaps my energy.
Comment by ~ Leslie in GA~ — April 11, 2007 @ 3:26 pm
Wow, I’ve always likes praying mantis because…well, I guess I thought it was cool how they looked like they were praying. But now I’m beginning to rethink that. It ate the butterfly?!?
Comment by Jodie — April 11, 2007 @ 3:34 pm
Jodie, it left the wings, which they showed floating down the stream. That was the end of the movie. PM’s are incredible predators…they’re like the lions of the bug world. But at least lions are regal and majestic. PMs are just…bugs.
Comment by Julie Leto — April 11, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
Julie — remember the PM episode in Buffy? Not one of Joss’s brightest moments, LOL, though they are a cool bug.
Sam
Comment by Sam Hunter — April 11, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
Julie, I’m glad you survived the field trip & the IMAX movie on bugs! Actually bugs are interesting.
Or if its raining wait cause it will stop soon! 
Hi Lori, I have web feet, do you!!?? 
:
It is raining here again, it has been one of those days. If the sun is out wait 5 minutes & it might rain again!!
Comment by Donna M — April 11, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
Well I guess I’ve learned something today. When I was a little girl, a guy that worked for my dad brought a praying mantis into the office. I don’t really remember any of the details except they came in to work one day and there were hundreds - no exaggeration! I think that was the first time I ever saw one and developed an affection for them then - especially since it totally freaked out my dad’s secretary.
But I didn’t know they were mean! I’d have probably cried at the wings floating down stream, especially since you got to see it’s whole life process. I’m such a dork!
Comment by Myrna L Stall — April 11, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
oops - did it again - the last comment is Jodie. I’m going home tonight so I’ll be straight tomorrow!
Comment by Myrna L Stall — April 11, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
Myrna, I know it’s not an exaggeration…one praying mantis lays eggs for about 200 babies, who pretty much come out fully formed (though they look like little larvae…ew.)
They aren’t mean…but they are hunters. Didn’t help that we had to see the whole thing close up and in 3-D! I’ve only once seen a praying mantis in person…when we were in Hawaii. I was shocked. I have a picture somewhere.
Comment by Julie Leto — April 11, 2007 @ 5:29 pm
I love both rain and snow. Having just come from Maine where I could not see out the bottom of the windows wth the snow piled up outside. I did get some great pictures. We are expecting your rain here in the next day or so. In Maine we have a metal roof and the rain on it is a spectacular sound. Sorta like sitting in a car in the rain or in a tent. I just love it. Well not if the tent leaks part or the if it has rained a week on my vacation part. LOL. I just finished “dark gold” CF (I liked it), Hot Stuff JE (cute & funny)and re-read Domino by Julie. I am now reading R.St.Claire’s “Take me Tonight”(so far I’m enjoying it) Hmmm next I haven’t a clue.
Enjoy your day whatever your weather. How were the 3-d BUGS?
Comment by jeannie — April 11, 2007 @ 5:48 pm
I am chuckling over your PM story. I once wacked a PM off a back porch railing when I was young and spent 15 minutes in a corner for the action.
Grandpa considered them the Garden’s friends. I remember him making me name it and check on it every day for the rest of my vacation stay with them. I also like Lady bugs. Now Spiders is a whole different story.
Must have been fun.
Comment by jeannie — April 11, 2007 @ 6:00 pm
Here in Southern California we haven’t had much rain at all this season, and we can DESPERATELY use the rain! We’re already heading toward a drought, and fire season, which is normally from July through October, hasn’t come to an end and probably won’t this year. Everything is just so dry, and I really cringe to think what this summer is going to bring.
Carly, Julie and Leslie have all seen me through about half a dozen fires that have come precariously close to where I live — the most recent of which was only SIX HOUSES AWAY in an open field that ended up burning for over 5 miles!!! So, I say, BRING ON THE RAIN, except it’s all the way in Florida and doesn’t seem to want to travel all the way to California!
Comment by Janelle — April 11, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
If I had to lay 200 eggs, I’d probably be pretty cranky and biting the head of anything that came near me too.
Comment by Jodie — April 11, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
Julie I hope the field trip went well. I make sure that I go on all of the field trips that I can. I know that I will miss it when it gone, but the bug trip may have had me running.
I love a nice soft rain. Downpours I hate. An entire day of rain makes me lazy. I also get a little peeved when my kids interrupt me when I am reading on the lazy rainy day.
Comment by Patty L. — April 11, 2007 @ 7:23 pm
Comment by katie — April 11, 2007 @ 9:07 pm
I love a rainy day as long as I can curl up with a good book. I hate a rainy day if I have to get out and go anywhere. yuck yuck and yuck
Good luck on the field trip . . . you’re gonna need it.
Missy
Comment by Missy Andrews — April 11, 2007 @ 11:34 pm
Glad you survived the field trip, Julie.
I was a chaperone for my son’s Jr High choir before Christmas. The girl’s choir and the boy’s choir each sang at two retirement homes. After that, it was a lovely yellow school bus ride from Northeast of Ft. Worth to North Dallas. On that bus I think it took almost an hour in rush hour traffic, not to mention the other bus (which was full of girls - at that age…
had three girls get into a fight! 
So, we must all stop so choir director can deal with that.
Next, we all get off at the Galleria Mall - so much shopping and so little money. But, I did get to see a girl flirting with my son.
It is soooo much fun to razz my 13 year old about that. (She chased him on ice skates.) 
Hope you enjoyed your sunny day.
Lynn
Comment by Lynn Matherly — April 12, 2007 @ 12:42 am
Julie, I’m with you on the rain! I honestly would rather have a snowy day than a rainy one. (The aftermath is the difficult part…lol!) But gray rainy days just get me down. And while 15 years ago when we moved to Florida the weather was just as you described, in recent years, we have not had those 3-5pm violent thunderstorms in the summer. We’ve had either no rain at all for weeks, or else solid 8-10 day stretches of it. Very weird!
Comment by Leslie — April 12, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
RAIN–DON’T CARE FOR IT WHEN IT RAINS 2-3 DAYS IN A ROW, BUT
WE NEED RAIN TO KEEP THINGS GROWING AND ALSO ENOUGH TO FILL LAKES AND DAMS SO WE DON’T HAVE A WATER SHORTAGE. SOME PLACES HAVE HAD TO ONLY WATER OUTSIDE A COUPLE OF DAYS A WEEK. HOPE THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN AGAIN THIS YEAR.
THE ONLY THING IS THAT WEEDS AND DANDALIONS GROW WITHOUT
RAIN, UNFORTUNATELY.
ALICE B. IN TEXAS
Comment by ALICE — April 13, 2007 @ 3:34 pm