Groundhog Day

As I was driving home from work yesterday, I got to thinking, "Hey, it's been hours since it last rained." And then it started. Just as I pulled in to the Winn-Dixie parking lot. And it kept raining--I ran in to get some soft drinks and cash so I could go pick up our dinner (takeout from Big Dragon!) and the Big Guy turned on the spigot again.

Oh well.

At least it wasn't so bad for me, but yesterday afternoon was graduation day for the kids at Hewitt-Trussville. I took what I figured was going to be a shortcut around the afternoon traffic on North Chalkville, and ran smack into all the moms and dads and seniors traipsing over, in the rain, to the stadium. So much for a shortcut, but inching along did give me time to peoplewatch, which is usually pretty entertaining.

As usual with such events, there seemed to be a disproportionate number of young guys for whom this was the first occasion that Mom and Dad INSISTED that a suit be worn, so there were a goodly number of lanky, somewhat self-conscious eighteen year olds walking around with trousers wadded up around the tops of their uncomfortable new shoes, and with jackets that had sleeves and shoulders made for men two inches taller and fifty pounds heavier--"Don't worry, you'll grow into it." Not no more, mama--he's growed as much as he's going to.

This was in marked contrast to the girls. Each one looking like she could have just stepped out of a fashion magazine, yet all so oddly unaware of how they look that they are going to go out after graduation with the scrawny boys in the too-big suits. This is why America is the greatest nation on earth.

Drove on down a bit, and saw the unfortunate side of having a pretty young daughter--that is, if you quietly envy her good looks and freedom and wish it was you going out afterwards with the kid in the too-big suit. From up the block a ways, it was just two girls under a couple of umbrellas--got closer and found I was half right. The one walking slightly ahead on the sidewalk was decked out in her sandblasted jeans and her cute top that had some jiggle coming up out of the neckline and the cute shoes she got at Saks. Just behind was Mom--same cute shoes from Saks, preternaturally emaciated in order to fit into her own pair of sandblasted capri jeans and a kewl blue-camo shirt that appeared painted on, wearing the too-taut, grim-mouthed look of someone on a first name basis with the receptionist at the plastic surgeon's office--she loves it when her daughter's friends say she's like, sooo cool. She refuses to hear the part about 'for someone so old'. Takes all sorts, I suppose.

Finally got past all the graduation traffic, and the sky lightened a bit, and then the Devil started beating his wife with a frying pan.

This is the odd old expression used to describe the phenomenon of when it's raining, but the sun is also shining. I'm not sure who came up with it or exactly what it's supposed to mean--I suppose it means the combination of good and bad at the same time...it's rainy but sunny. You figure it's a bad thing to beat your wife, but then again, it is Scratch's wife getting it, so maybe it's alright. Still don't know if the frying pan has any signficance aside from it was just the nearest thing at hand. Or hoof. Google comes to the rescue on this one--I just typed in "devil beating his wife" and got 62 results! This one says the phrase originated in Hungary, this one claims the raindrops are Mrs. Satan's tears, and THIS ONE seems to be compendium of all the phrases in the world used to describe the thing (and it notes that down South we are supposed to be saying "behind the back door" instead of "with a frying pan". I like my version just fine.) Since I originally started this thing going for Chinese food, I guess it would be more appropriate to use the Chinese expression, but one wasn't listed in there, so I suggest he was beating her with a wok.

ANYway, got on up the road and got our food and got back home and the rain clouds finally went on off. Ate, put up the dishes, the kids went to the den to play, and Reba and I went outside to walk around and see what all the water had done for us. Well, for one, the roses are starting to die off a bit on the tops, and a branch on Jonathan's pear tree shrivelled up, and the iris leaves have started turning a sickly yellow green. Eww. The grass and weeds seem to be enjoying themselves, however, along with the wisteria, so if it's even remotely dry this afternoon, they all get to feel the edgy, whirling death of the old Murray. Of course, I've been saying for three weeks now that I was going to get the lawn mower out, but in the immortal words of Bullwinkle J. Moose, "Thith time, fer sure!!"

And you thought I'd get a break once soccer season was over!
posted by Terry at 9:46:00 AM