Showers

Kentucky is thunder-boomer land. And I love it. There is nothing weeny about Kentucky showers. Here, when it rains, it pours. When I was a kid, a great pleasure was playing in the rain. The gutters throwing torrents down toward the big street. Put a foot cross-wise and you made a dam. Throw in a feather or a leaf and you learned about the power of gravity as illustrated in water. I am reminded of e.e. cummings. Grow up here and you know without having to read the poem that the world is, indeed, mud-lucious and puddle-wonderful.

Every night since I've been here there has been a downpour. Since I am upstairs in a post-and-beam house deep in the center of the state (Waddy, to be exact), the rafters roar with rainfall. It is a spectacular sound extravaganza, matched only by the din of locust song at dusk. Nancy says some people feel the need of earplugs at night. Odd, but to me, the louder the better. But then for me, it is the sound of childhood, of security, of home, of summer nights when all was right with the world. Or if all wasn't, there was at least this constancy of bugs and bangs in the night to lull me to sleep. 

But speaking of showers: today was Lauren's wedding shower, hosted by Nancy and me at Lauren's stepmother's home. The shower itself was a test of my resolve and maturity since said stepmother broke up Nancy's first marriage. I will take whatever abuse comes my way but hurt the people I love and, well, let's say it speaks to my Mr. Hyde side. This nod to my mother and Nancy's mother, both of whom did considerable work to harness my wild side and make a 'lady' of me — I attempted gracious. It was awkward, and my nose grew, but the affair came off with much laughter and good cheer. It amuses me that I was on my best behavior not because my mother was lording it over me (which used to be the sole motivation) but because my godchild was so deserving. 

Truffle: After a full day, cleaning up after dinner with my best friend since time, singing and dancing in place to Martha and the Vandellas, the Four Tops, the Temptations and Marvin Gaye. No matter that we sing out of tune or move with the fluidity of glued parts. We are happy, we are together and, in this moment by the sink, young again.

Quote of the day: "You can always tell a real friend; when you've made a fool of yourself, (s)he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job." (Laurence Sterne)

Comments

[Nancy]

You left me with a smile today and memories of all the nights I spent at my best friend's house, enough so that their housekeeper was wont to remark, "That chile ought to pay rent!"