A Rainy Time-Out

The rain hits the roof here in soft snaps and the woods look wet and thick with life. Everything is green. Except for a slight part in the treetops where strips of inky blue clouds announce there is a sky. I feel as though I'm in a snow globe, but with rain falling. Like a terrarium ...and I 'm the tiny plastic figure in the little house under an umbrella of massive leaves.

There is a comfort in rainy days. Time slows down. Plans are changed. Yet, floors beg to be mopped and pillows plumped and crooked pictures on the walls make you question your good taste. The dog sleeps. The  husband reads. The big clock ticks louder and faster ...and you wallow in your blessings. You breathe. Pray. Give thanks. Take total advantage of this interruption of a busy life.

I have a box of papers to file. Things I've stuffed away " for later". Important bills that need attention and receipts that still suffer wrinkles from a hurried stash into a crowded purse. I will listen to the rain and organize them...as soon as I finish my coffee.

My coffee is Coconut Cream Pie. A new gourmet flavor by Folgers that seduced me in the aisle at WalMart by merely it's smell alone. It's pretty good. A bit coco-nutty with not a lot of creaminess and no indication of pie whatsoever. But it's coffee. And it's hot. And I need it.

On days like this when I have the chance to reflect and ponder, it seems strange living here. Or so it must seem to other people. Why would I give up a beautiful big house in a quiet country neighborhood to live in a little cabin stuck in the middle of the redneck woods? 

Well, all I know is, it feels like I have lived here forever. That my wings led me to this place. That my nest is meant to be built here. That my roots cry to be planted here. That my heart doesn't care if its carpet and cushions and extra space to spread out. That I am content with a tin roof and wooden floors and a  living/ kitchen/ dining combination that seems to work quite well for me.

I'll be honest. I do miss my bath tub. Giant, perfume-y bubbles, a water- spotted magazine and body wash that smells like a tropical island. A fifteen minute soak in the hottest water I can stand...then a lather of lotion and pj's. 

(Yesterday while at the feed store, my husband offered to buy me a galvanized water trough to use as a bath until our addition is built. It would be hooked up outside the kitchen porch and equipped with hot and cold running water and a little stopper on a chain.)

I should have said yes.

Speaking of pajamas, they are practically my choice of day wear. A pair of Old Navy drawstring pants are adequate for sitting on the porch as well as for digging ditches. And my chubby Nana arms are finally seeing some sun. Where tank tops were taboo before, I now wear them without fear of being seen (and ridiculed). Anyone approaching our place can be heard early enough for me to go running to the house and flip on a tee shirt and Capri's. So far, I have only had to make that Olympic sprint once. And it was worth the fresh eggs from my husbands cousin.

My coffee is getting cold and so are my toes. The cold front coming through with the rain has forced me to find my fuzzy black slippers in my makeshift under-the-bed closet.

Here they are!

Nothing quite as cozy as a rainy day in a little red cabin. With the man and the dog that you love.

Thank you, God.