We haven’t had a big rain for 9 months. Today we are in the middle of an atmospheric river aimed at the Bay Area. People and plants are rejoicing. Firefighters are taking a much-needed rest. Yesterday, we even danced at a winery in light rain as a hope for a wet winter and also because of a trio of birthdays.
It’s Sunday, so I had to go get my San Francisco Chronicle. It’s days like today that I wish I still had it delivered, but I’m cheap, and it’s $3.00 at the store instead of $6.00 at my door.
I opened the front door to leave and the crazy Jack Russell ran out into the rain. She made her rounds at the usual bushes where rats have burrowed for the winter. I tried to coax her back inside, but she ran to the car instead. I opened the garage door and tried to coax her back in that way, but she’s a stubborn girl. I guess she thought I was going to drive to Monterey in a downpour and didn’t want to get left behind.
I opened the door and let my soggy dog inside.
“You’re going to the store with me, Daisy, you little weirdo,” I said.
I had no harness on her, so I couldn’t tether her to the seat.
“Well, I’m not getting on the freeway, so it should be okay.”
I pulled the wool blanket to the front passenger seat so she’d stop sliding around on her wet paws. I drove the two miles to the store while she watched the windshield wipers at high speed. What were those things for, again?
Daisy whined at the pounding rain on the car roof. She slid as I turned the corner on the green light. I found the closest parking spot, and just in case she bolted again, I attached a spare car leash to her two collars. I found the car towel and dried her off as she shivered under it.
Then I opened the door and jumped out. She didn’t budge. I went inside and bought my six items, plus a few more thrown in for good measure.
On the way home, Daisy had her paws up on the dashboard as she took in the sight of gorgeous rain washing away nine months of pollen and freeway dirt that had collected over my neighborhood. We passed one woman walking a drenched golden lab and and couple of crows enjoyng their baths. I crossed the usually stagnant creek and saw it full and flowing.
I backed into the driveway and opened the car door. Daisy wouldn’t budge. I pulled her toward me, picked her up and carried her to the dry garage. She ran inside and I followed with one bag of groceries, my other Sunday paper in a soaked bag, and a two-liter bottle of water. Whoever thought we’d be buying bottles water in 2021?
But I digress.
I went back out for the second bag. Guess who followed me and jumped back into the car?
It’s times like these that I wish my garage wasn’t filled with tubs of my offsprings’ belongings. I could’ve pulled in, shut the garage door and then unloaded.
Deream on, Mom. With no basements in this state, we all use our garages for storage instead of parking. No wonder there are so many car break-ins.
But not today. Nobody with any sense at all will be going anywhere. It’s a river of water from above, and for the next 24 hours, we open our outstretched arms.
Good job, Mother Nature, God, Universe, whatever you want to call it.
We really needed that.
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 