As Usual

Rained last night as usual, is how Captain William Clark often began his daily journal entries during his stay at Fort Clatsop.  This is how I generally feel many mornings when I wake up this time of year.   The wet, grey weather makes me feel like buying one of those snuggie things, curling up with a cup of hot cocoa and reading a book or watching some horrible reality show marathon until the rain stops-the problem with that is  I would be curled up on the couch for the next seven to eight months.  Unlike Lewis and Clark's expedition, modern comforts abound in our household and there are times in years past when I have successfully avoided the elements for extended periods of time.  Nowadays, this reaction would be a recipe for disaster-two kids later and we all get cabin fever after about six hours.  Any inkling that the downpour might turn into a mere drizzle, I load up the jogging stroller with old towels and get the boys prepared and go out for a run/bike ride.  A playground is located near the halfway point of our regular route, so we unpack the towels, dry the swings and slides and are able to make the best of it. 

Lately, there have been some pretty hard rains and the promise of the park is not the only motivation for Boy O, who rides along side me.  Massive puddles have formed in the gravel paths along our normal trail making it somewhat difficult to traverse to the other side without getting our shins wet.  I've never been much of one for these types of experiences (translation: complete wimp), but my son is teaching me to appreciate new things and see the glass half full.  There really is nothing better than a large, muddy rain puddle.  I do wish I had pictures of the first day of the puddles, because they were much larger and deeper than these pictures. 

Yes, I created yet another load of laundry for myself and in my efforts to avoid the puddles, I managed to step in deep pockets of mud in the mucky swamp of a field surrounding us.  



The fresh air and laughter as I watched him ride through every kind of puddle was well worth getting wet and muddy.  I even amused Baby O by attempting to run through a few, resulting in some spectacular showers.  So if you are ever down in the dumps about the weather, consider putting on an old pair of shoes and enjoying a good splash in the aftermath of this liquid sunshine.