Monday, October 16, 2006

Monday Malarkey

We are having a nasty weather day, here in Mississippi. Last night, it was pleasant; we had a light rain and it was still cool (we're headed back toward the mid- to upper-80's, tomorrow). For the first time in the 20 years we've lived here, there was a fresh, sweet smell to the air outdoors. Usually rain just makes things smell heavy and dank; that delicious fresh scent was reminiscent of home on the prairie.

Isn't this photo great? It doesn't look like either the prairie (my hometown was surrounded by wheat fields) or the little town we live in, but it fits the weather mood perfectly.

Today, major yucko. However, three things made this day wonderful:

1. As I drove away from dropping my son off at the high school--before the sky began to fall (beginning a day of what I refer to as "God-kicked-the-bucket-over rain"), a heron flew across the exit road, about 25 feet in front of my car.

Herons have a majestic wingspan and are just breathtaking in flight. They're not a common sight at school, but there is a creek that runs past the field where the band and soccer teams practice (between the two parallel roads that lead into and out of the parking lot) and herons spend most of their time near water, so I assume he was there for the fishing. If so, he'd make the Southern folks around here proud. At home, I checked images online to make sure it was, indeed, a heron that I'd spotted. "Most definitely" was the answer. I also discovered that a heron in flight is supposedly a sign of a coming storm. What-ho! Good prediction, Mr. Heron!

2. I'm apparently at the wheel most of the day. My second great moment occurred on the drive to the YMCA for swim practice. William had the newpaper in hand and read one of the headlines, as well as the lead paragraph, aloud. The article had to do with atmospheric tests having confirmed that there was definitely radiation in the atmosphere over the U.S., verifying the news of last week's Korean nuclear test; and, then said child launched into descriptions of various destructive weapons. Will is a big fan of techno-thrillers and can chatter about weapons endlessly. He mispronounced the word "incendiary" and I interrupted to correct him. Without missing a beat, my teenager said, "Thank you for correcting me," and continued to chatter.

The thrill lay in the fact that he meant it - Will likes knowing how to correctly pronounce words and there was no sarcasm at all in his thanks. Now, that's cool.

3. I received a really upbeat email that made me grin, this evening.

Reading-wise: I am still stalled near the middle of The Once and Future King, so I picked up a book that's been beckoning to me: Touched by Angels by Debbie Macomber. This is my first Macomber book, in spite of having spent years around romance writers who gushed when Macomber's name was mentioned - and I'm loving it, so far. I think I should have kept a second read going to give me breaks from my chunkster. But, at least I gave in and started a new book, today. And, a rainy day is an excellent excuse to curl up with a book, after all.

Happy Monday!

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:37 PM

    Love the picture - it looks an awful lot like Portland did today.

    We have quite a few herons around here and they are just beautiful. I don't see them flying very often, though.

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  2. God may have kicked over the rain bucket, but He also reigned some blessings on you, too! :)

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  3. yes, this rain is great for making me want to read more.. i finished the 13th Tale much faster than i thought.

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  4. Suzi,

    I think I've only managed to see a heron in flight on two other occasions; at least one of those was in Algonquin Park in Canada. We're not close to a body of water (the Mississippi River is about 5-10 miles west of us), so I really don't see them around here on a regular basis.

    Doesn't Portland look like that photo most of the time? ;) We've been too sunny for way too long; I'm enjoying the cloud cover!!

    Joy,

    It helps to watch for the blessings, which I've been working on a little harder since I discovered the "Three Beautiful Things" blog. Thanks for sending one of my blessings. It was about as fun as watching a little kid open a Christmas present. :)

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  5. Angela,

    I'm going to climb back under the covers and read, since it's still gloomy outside (I consider it "good gloomy", btw). The 13th Tale is still on my pile; I've been avoiding reviews to keep from spoiling the fun - noticed you did that, also. :)

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  6. I love the rain, too. And your description of "God kicked the bucket over" is so perfect.

    We've been getting that kind of rain here, but up in Michigan, it's not going to be 80 tomorrow! It'll be 55 or so. But the leaves are turning gold and red and the rain smells clean and crisp.

    I love it.

    And, btw, I always enjoyed Macomber's Christmas angels books.

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  7. Colleen,

    We have drenching rains, down here - very seldom does it just sprinkle or rain lightly.

    My husband just got back from Michigan! I was so envious. We lived in Ann Arbor for a year, while he did his doctoral coursework, and I didn't want to return to Mississippi. I loved Ann Arbor!!

    It did hit the upper 80's, yesterday. Yucky.

    I'm loving the angel book, when I can focus. I've got a lingering migraine and they impair my vision so the reading has taken a big knock. Glad to hear you liked that series!

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  8. Nancy,
    I love your blog. Have I mentioned that lately? I love that you list things that made the day great. And it made me smile when you said Will was completely sarcasmless when he thanked you. Sounds like something my Mom would be happy about. I'm not a smart@ss or anything, but she catches onto those little things and brings them up sometimes.

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  9. Aww, thanks Andi!!

    Nope, don't think you've mentioned enjoying my blog, lately; but now you've made my day. :)

    Isn't it strange how reading about another person's great moments can lift your spirits? Visiting Three Beautiful Things has become one of my uppers. Although nothing beats chocolate.

    Sounds like you have a terrific mom!!! It's good to latch onto the positive moments and tell kids (regardless of age) when they do something right. We can all stand a little positive reinforcement, yes?

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