It’s been raining for seven days straight. It started with temperatures in the seventies and as the storm pushed through it was closely followed by temperatures in the thirties! The air at ninety-seven percent humidity suddenly becoming so quickly chilled causes it to condense on the inside of the window panes.* Like a cold drink in summer it collects and runs over the panes and down to the sill. The windows were wiped four times day before yesterday, and still it collected.
The wind blew, the rain kept coming, and it has just stopped raining as I type. The heavy clay has become a mire, slick, slimy and dangerous. It has rained so much that the earth could no longer take it in. The rain fell and then lay in an inch deep sheet covering the surface of everything on the ground, then flowing to the lowest places it sat and produced puddles and ponds where none should be.
There is more rain predicted, ‘freezing rain’, ‘chance rain’, and ‘possible snow’ as the day continues, and all of it under leaden skies.
We needed the rain after all those summer days of drought, but getting it all in one go is hard to take. These endless gray days seem to seep inside you, make you sad, dull your senses…
I dream of spring and a sunny day.
Today the sky is throwing little frozen snowballs down to earth.
Some the size of peas
They collect in the crevasses, and pretend they are snow…
In the meantime,
I keep the little lights on to chase away the dark that lurks in the corners,
and Benny Goodman is keeping me motivated not to just crawl under the covers and sleep the winter away.
Benny Goodman Sextet, with Peggy Lee singing
On The Sunny Side of the Street
😉
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*The inside humidity would not normally have been equal to the outside humidity, but for the smoking dinner in the oven three nights ago, which set off the smoke detector, thus causing us to open the windows and doors to clear the air. The smoke cleared, but the open house let the hot, wet air in. With the house then closed the outside temperature plummeted forty degrees in less than two hours and this caused the inside condensation to occur. We learned our first year here, that too much moisture allowed to sit on the sills will cause mold to grow there. 😐
We went to bed last night knowing there was a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. And so it was that when I woke up this morning to the little dog’s whining and sniffing at my face to go out, that I found my self annoyed and not wanting to get up. Laying there all wrapped in my cocoon of flannel sheets and extra blankets I simply did not want to face the icy chill I knew was waiting for me.
But, the little dog was not taking no for an answer this morning. I grudgingly forced myself out of my comfort zone, and instead of letting the poor little dog out I thought, I’ll just let him out of the room and he’ll go find Bob. Bob will let him out! So I opened the bedroom door, and hearing those little tappy toes prancing down the long hall looking for Bob and the express pass to the outside for relief…
I closed the door and crawled back into my cocoon. Aaaah…
Just on the verge of sleep again I hear the little dog! BARKING! I snuggle down deeper into the warmth of my covers.
Arff…ARFF-ARFF-ARFF!
What the…!!!
I hop up to find the little dog sitting at the mud room door and barking at it. Apparently Bob was indisposed and little dog really wanted out! I feel bad now. Quickly I put on his little red jacket with the imitation fleece lining and send him out the door.
I’m up now.
Donning my robe and slippers I find my way to the kitchen, pour coffee, and then return to the mudroom to let the little Pupcicle in. Taking off his coat and wiping the snow off of his pads I tell him,
Life on the Farmlet 