2008 March « Black Sheeped

Spring

March 31, 2008 — swampdiamonds

My husband had to get up early this morning to drive to an out-of-town conference, and we were greeted by our first official spring thunderstorm of the year. I crawled out of bed after he showered so we could take out the dogs, armed with umbrellas and grim determination. It was dark and raining. Monk (gasp) peed promptly in the downpour, so my husband went back in.

I stood in the cold rain (and lightening) for around 25 minutes, begging Cab to just do something, anything. Just a dribble! Please! We got drenched, we got cold, and we finally came back in. Cab never peed, and as it is still raining and thundering, I get to do it all over again before I leave for work. And then on my lunch break. And by the time J gets home around ten tonight, the dogs and I will be in a huge fight. We won’t even be on speaking terms, I’m predicting, and Monk will complain to his friends on the phone, whispering, so I can’t hear the names he is calling me. Cab will slam doors and might lock me out of the bathroom. They hate hate hate when we make them pee outside in rain, and I hate that instead of just peeing and getting it over with, they dawdle for years while looking at me accusingly. It’s supposed to storm all day, and I hope Monk doesn’t get so dramatic that he has to try to write me a note to tell me how much I am hurting his feelings, because his spelling is atrocious, and he always uses those stupid check yes or no boxes.

Those drive me crazy.

But it’s so nice to wake up to a thunderstorm and hear rain pummeling the bedroom window. When we took the dogs out last night before bed the wet smell of coming rain was thick in the air, and my skin felt crackly and sticky from the change in pressure and humidity. Yesterday birds were shouting as they fought over bushes and trees. The cats tensely watched robins quarrelling through the window, and I noticed a bird collecting bits of grass and twigs for its nest. A very pregnant rabbit was waddle-hopping around the backyard, her swollen belly sort of dragging on the ground. The tulips grew three inches over the weekend, I saw buds on a neighboring tree, and now we have glorious chilly spring thunderstorms.

Thunderstorms are my favorite, of all the weather types, maybe tied with any sort of windy windy storm. My second favorite type of weather is when it is about 55 degrees and cloudy and ugly, and my third favorite type is the requisite 70 degrees and partly cloudy/mostly sunny. But nothing makes me feel happier than waking to thunder, nothing makes me feel more crinkly and soaring than waiting outside to watch a storm blow in. Waking to thunder is good. I am so lucky to have a warm dry place to sleep while it rains, surrounded in the dark by the man and animals that are my family. “I am fortunate, I am fortunate,” my brain reminds me, as I groggily breathe the warm wet scent of the sleeping breathing beings I love. I fall back asleep with that cadence in my chest and belly, thumping quietly behind my eyes.

I’m glad spring is here.

Love,

blacksheeped

PS. Friday questions are down there, if you missed them because I was late. I’m still waiting to find out ratios, people!

Posted in Emotions. Tags: Emotions. 3 Comments »

Finally

March 28, 2008 — swampdiamonds

This morning, I waited for 25 minutes for my computer to get it’s act together and stop locking up, so I could post my FRIDAY QUESTIONS, ALREADY. And then it didn’t quit, and then we had a work lunch, and after work we took the dogs for a walk, and ate, then I made myself a facial out of a banana and honey, and then wrote emails. And now it’s 10:32 p.m. and Monk is leaning against me, yawning, while J shows me paintings by Captain Beefheart.

I’ll give the questions anyway, because I had them in my mind. Yes? Have you ever been in a car accident? How often do you fall asleep somewhere other than bed prior to going to bed? What do you drink in the evenings? What color are your eyes? And, because my curiosity was sparked by a conversation I had earlier this week, how do you hold your writing utensils?

I have never been in a real all-out car crash, although once in high school I lost control of my car going around a sharp curve in rain, and slid off the road. I’ve also been the passenger during MULTIPLE rear-ending incidents. An idiotic high school boyfriend rear-ended car after car after car, simply because he did not slow down/brake soon enough. A college one did the same. I’ve been in the car while my mother rear-ended someone after church. Recently I was in a car that someone backed into another car. Once J bumped someone from behind, but I was carefully observing that one and it definitely was not his fault–most reasonable people do not brake to a stop before changing lanes on a busy highway, causing complete chaos around/behind them. I have never rear-ended anyone, and I’m terrified always of hitting people from behind. I have a terrible habit of hitting my imaginary passenger-side break with little gasps.

I sometimes fall asleep on the couch–this is better than my past record of falling asleep every single night on the couch. Sometimes I’ll fall asleep in a chair, but if we start getting ready for bed by 9:30 or 10:00, and get into bed by 10:00 or 10:30, I can normally stay awake. I think medication has helped wonderfully with my problem of falling asleep at 7:30 every night.

In the evenings I like to have a decaffeinated beverage of some soda variety, sometimes a cup of hot tea. I usually drink a bottle of water before bed, after we take the dogs out, especially if I realize I’ve had almost all caffeinated beverages until them. Perhaps this is the reason I am not so narcoleptic. Or part.

My eyes are blue/gray, with a yellowish brown color around the pupil. I think you can actually see it in the last photo from that last post. I never know what color to put on eye color questions, so I usually put blue. But…that’s not at all correct.

And, finally, here is photographic evidence of how I clutch a pen/pencil, as if for dear life:

My method was the result of some mocking by a middle school math teacher, who also pointed out that I held silverware incorrectly (what, you didn’t have six weeks of table etiquette in six grade math? what kind of weird school did YOU attend?). I don’t know why I hold things so…firmly, in a balled up fist. I have a callous on my right hand ring finger, where the pen/pencil rests. Also, I’m right-handed, but I can draw/paint with my left hand, too. I’m interested to know the eye color/handedness ratio of you guys.

So, even though I was late, go go go!

Kisses,

black sheeped