rainy days

travelin' oma assignment number nine (back in the saddle again, at least for today...)

i grew up with many rainy days in my life. i just typed that and it feels like some metaphor for depression or hard times. but no. we are talking about literal rainy days here.

ahem. i grew up with many rainy days in my life. and learned to love them. and so, as i reached adulthood, i felt well equipped to deal with rainy days. rain rarely keeps a native pacific northwesterner from going out, and yet, there is something about a gray and rainy day that makes you want to stay in and curl up on the couch or in bed with a good book. or watch an old movie. not an action flick or some new movie. something about rainy days requires an old friend. musicals are always welcome.

and then i moved to utah and encountered less rain and more snow. and snow does keep this native pacific northwesterner from going out as much as possible. a snowy day is like a deeply entrenched rainy day. add some hot chocolate and maybe a pair of knitting needles. add an extra quilt on top. and yet, i still felt well equipped to handle snowy days, thanks to experienced gained on many rainy days.

but then the child came along. and children (at least mine) take a little while before they understand that rainy days are for movies and books. fortunately, madeleine understands that rainy and snowy days are for staying in, but she needs a lot more activity in her rainy days than this seasoned veteran. i've learned to fill the days with art projects, making cookies, and singing time, but i've also managed to squeeze in some time curled up on a rocker with madeleine and a stack of books on my lap, followed by a few movies. so that maybe, she'll learn to appreciate rainy days as much as i have.