An Ode to Rain

Dare I hope the end of this hot sweaty summer is in sight? It’s looking that way! On Saturday my fevered rain dances finally paid off with a blissful fall weather pattern of wet and windy storms taking up residence over the Pacific NW. Just in case I haven’t mentioned it before, let me make it clear. I hate summer. Hate the sun. Hate the weeks upon weeks of 85+ degree temperatures. But mostly, I hate the drive home in my sweltering non-air-conditioned car. Due to some freak moment of insanity, I bought a car (in midwinter) that not only has no a/c; it doesn’t even have power windows or door locks. So I end up not only driving around all season with all 4 windows rolled down ½ way, but since its such a huge pain in the ass to go around manually rolling up/down 4 windows every single freaking time I get in/out of the car, I leave it parked with them rolled down as well (and the doors unlocked, because really, what’s the point of locking when the windows are all down?) . This lazy-ass method of vehicular heat management has its drawbacks, however.

First, the cats* have discovered how cozy it is in the back window of the car and climb in at night, coating my cheap cloth upholstery with cat-hair that is impossible to vacuum up. Secondly, at the beginning of summer the interior generally acquires a heavy dusting of pollen on the dash and other assorted vinyl surfaces. And thirdly, on those rare, surprising summer thunderstorms that too briefly interrupt the baking 85+ degree days, the interior of said vehicle gets soaked. Leaving me to brave the stupefying stop & go rush hour traffic in a hot, humid, sneeze-inducing haze. So yeah, I hate summer. Fall can never get here fast enough.

So now you’ll understand why the last 4 days have been bliss. We got rain. Brief bouts of torrential monsoon-like showers interspersed with our more typical cozy, heart-warming drizzle that just seems to wrap the green hills up in a misty blanket and make you happy to stay indoors. Or go jogging. You can tell the hard-core Oregonians** when it starts to rain. They jog in it. Garden in it. Clean their cars in it (with biodegradable soap, naturally. Saves the rinse step). Rain is our best friend. It's sacred absolution by Mother Nature herself. And as corny as it sounds, when we hardcore Oregonians don't get it on a regular basis, our souls begin to shrivel up and dry out. So I'm praying it sticks around for awhile.

*Freaking fair-weather cats!!. I’ve seen then more in the last 4 days than in the last 4 weeks combined. I swear Ozz has got a built in barometer – as soon as the pressure drops and rainclouds appear on the horizon the living room, heretofore seen as some sort of gulag/torturous confinement cell that is invariably met with piteous howls of indignation (aimed at the walls) suddenly becomes a 5 star spa and resort/ emergency shelter.

**Western Oregonians that is. There's an Eastern variant that's damned near an entirely different species. Not better/worse, mind you. Just different.

***Yes, I too stole the asterisk postscript thing from Mimi Smartypants. So sue me.