Tuesday, August 23, 2022

The Perfect Storm

 Sunday, I was writing my weekly letter to my youngest daughter and her husband over across the pond. Tim was getting ready for church. He said, "When I get home, why don't we go to Grand Valley?" 

I thought that was a fine idea. It was just him and I for the next couple days, so it gave me a chance to check on the garden. I had tomatoes coming ripe. He wanted to work on a tractor or two. We had finished up all our projects here. 

We headed up, stopping at a friend's to do a swap. They had extra produce. I had jalapenos she needed for her salsa. We chatted for a while, and then headed off, getting to the front door of our home away from home just about the time that the skies opened up. 

We were not complaining about a rainy day, that's for sure. It was dark and breezy and distant thunder and flashes of lightning continued nonstop. One rain front moved out and another followed in fairly short order. There was nothing to do but wait it out, and so we did. I was reading 'The Spectator Bird' and Tim was snoring gently on the couch. 

I marveled at the feeling of having absolutely nothing to do. Nothing. I rocked in my chair, and read my book. The breeze blew through the screened front door and the thunder gently rumbled, lightning flashing over distant mountains. It was wonderful. 

Eventually, I got up and made stuffed zucchini (stuffing: venison, onions, peppers cooked together and put in the hollowed out zucchini halves) and topped with the tomato sauce from my own tomatoes. I popped it in the oven and went back to my book  The rain stopped for a few minutes, so Tim went out to sight in the new .22 he got for William to practice on. 

Soon it got dark again, and the thunder got louder, and a new round of rain came through. Tim came inside and we had a peaceful supper watching the storm move on from out the window. "This is delicious," he said, and helped himself to more. 

And that's how it went. The rain came and went for that night as I washed the dishes, and put everything away, as Tim watched out the front door to see the deer coming in to get fallen apples. We fell asleep watching the lightning through the bedroom window. It was quite a show. 

The next day was no different. Dark, with one storm front after another moving through. In between the storms, we did some thrift store shopping, getting clothes for the grandkids. I found a Woolrich sweater that I loved. We explored and we talked and laughed and drove in and out of the rain showers. Once back, I curled up with a 'new' book I'd gotten. Tim went out to work on a tractor. We took supper to my brother-in-law and sister. I gave her a book that I'd finished. We played scrabble. We came home and watched a DVD we had bought, 'Cider Mill Rules'. Neither of us had seen it since we both have a huge gap in our movie watching...we just never had time...and it was an interesting watch, since I am pro-choice, and he's preacher's son 'pro-life'. We leave each other believe what we will believe. He knows what I believe and why I believe it. I know what he believes and why he believes it. 

Outside, the storms kept moving through, one right after another. 

It has been such a long time since I was actually kept inside by the weather. It really was wonderfully relaxing three days. 

This morning, I dug some wildflowers, and I picked the ripe tomatoes and we drove home to get the wildflowers planted, to get the tomatoes processed. It looks like the rain has stopped. I'm almost sorry about it, because it really was the perfect storm.


33 comments:

  1. For some reason Summer rain is certainly more enjoyable than Winter rain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure where you're from, Cathy, but we don't get much winter rain here. Snow, usually, or sleet. Not much to love there.

      Delete
  2. Sounds like a very relaxing few days where you've had time to contemplate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These comments have given me a lot to think on too. Boy, what a nice morning coffee klatsch we have.

      Delete
  3. I was in the same storm, beginning Saturday night. It was lovely, though the grand kids at Blossom didn't think so.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, Joanne, I'm not quite sure of where you are in Ohio, but it did occur to me that you were probably getting the same weather.

      Delete
  4. A nice read Debby... and an apt title too. :^)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You don't get much that's perfect in life.

      Delete
  5. I could smell the nice rains you had through to my computer. I think Cider House Rules was a good movie. At least it made folks aware of what was going on in earlier times, as will always happen, no matter about the laws or timing. Linda in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was amazed at how timely that movie was.

      Delete
  6. I'd like a really rainy day or two as you had and get some computer filing done, along with devouring a book. You should change Tim's pro life wrong thinking with some logical examples. However, I know why you would not. I can't change my partner's illogical hatred of cyclists.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been discussed. He just feels it's a sin. You really cannot get past that. He was raised in a very conservative family, by a preacher who was a liar and a pretty unkind man. He was raised 'rough'. There's a few of those things that he can't let go of, but most of it, he has.

      Delete
  7. Ticking Over Days..productive but relaxing. Nice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We need a few more of them, and I need to forget my phone more often.

      Delete
  8. I think you are remarkably accepting. I wrote more but deleted it so as not to start a brouhaha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tim is what he is. I am what I am. He listens to my opinions. Sometimes he changes his mind (he started out a tRUMP supporter, but changed his mind (of his own volition) during the very early days of the campaign. He has never understood how people don't see him for what he is). I cannot say that he's ever changed my opinion, but he has moderated them. The message of Cider House Rules was that rules should be made by the people who have to live by those rules. I saw it click for Tim. He's a thinker. You would never start a brouhaha because we'd both just listen to you. We'd never feel a need to argue about your opinion.

      Delete
    2. You know, thinking about it, I remember Uncle Hermie. He was a beloved man. He was a missionary with a plane. He once flew it to Africa. Totally not kidding. They never had a television. He died maybe 10 years ago, in his 90s. I loved going to their house and talking around the supper table. Know why? Because you could speak freely. He would listen. If you said something that he had no knowledge of, he'd always sit there listening carefully, blinking owlishly behind his bifocles. He would always say, "Why do you think that is?" and which opened up the discussion even more. Everyone talked. Everyone listened. I guess that Tim is a lot like that. I try to be more like him. We all need to be more like that, I think. I really loved Uncle Hermie and his wife, Anna.

      Delete
    3. He belonged to a church where the women glided around speaking softly, wearing head coverings and long skirts and calling each other 'sister'. Aunt Anna liked her pants, so she went to a different church. Thank you for that comment, AC. It brought back a batch of wonderful memories.

      Delete
  9. What terrific writing on this, Debby! Your description of your rainy day weekend is perfect. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really enjoyed the weekend, and it was hard to 'come back'.

      Delete
  10. That does sound like the perfect storm and something I miss of my childhood in a big old farmhouse without television and before the internet. These days everyone freaks out if they are without the internet for more than a few minutes.

    The stuffed zucchini sounds delicious. We did a very similar thing but used peppers from our garden as the vessel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed, I forgot my phone, so...no internet for us! It was relaxing. Tim had his phone (not a smart phone), so people could reach us, but that's it.

      Delete
  11. I felt exactly that way when we were first locked down here in France. It really was NICE! I had plenty of food in the house. I'm retired so didn't have to work, and I didn't have to worry about driving in the snow to get to work (I live in the French alps). On top of that, everything was so SILENT, the sky was clear and the stars shone. OK it wasn't like that for many people and I realize how lucky I was but if you have to see a positive in something, there it was!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sounds wonderful! It is a wonderful thing to be able to see the joys in hard days. I admire you.

      Delete
  12. What a wonderful weekend and what interesting comments. Much as I disagree with some people at the end of the day it is their opinion and their life. As long as they don't force it on me or others - and there's the rub.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess that is why Tim and I can coexist. We accept that we are different.

      Delete
  13. Lovely post, Debby. Thanks for sharing and painting such a wonderful picture.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We really NEED rain in Hawaii. Wish we could have some of your moisture. It sounds like a very lovely, restful time you both had. I love how you can both agree to disagree and be understanding of each other. I am definitely pro-choice too.

    ReplyDelete

I'm glad you're here!

Weary

I am sure that everyone has seen the video of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I lived in Baltimore for a couple years while my...