Gray Day

I've been trying not to let the incessant rain we've been having dampen my enthusiasm for this weekend. With cautious optimism on Saturday morning, we loaded up the van and embarked on a scenic trip to a neighboring community for their annual apple festival. It was something we were all really looking forward to, but with a steady downpour and water rushing down both sides of the main street, we decided not to even stop. There truly was joy in the journey, however, as the morning and surroundings were breathtakingly beautiful--low clouds drifting in and around the mountains, vibrant greenery and cheerful wildflowers scattered along the highway, and time together, just "being" together. We had lunch at a Dairy Queen which was a real treat for all of us, and lazed around at home the rest of the day.

Yesterday I was thrilled to spend some time with my best friend, who lives about an hour away and who I haven't seen in a couple of months. We enjoyed a delicious lunch, lively, uninterrupted conversation, some frivolous shopping, and dessert and coffee at Starbucks. What better way to spend a gray dreary day?

This rain, though, is relentless...and by the time yesterday evening rolled around, my mood was beginning to reflect the melancholy gray that's been surrounding us all weekend. I put on a happy face, went to work, and was actually having a perfectly splendid time until my attention was brought to the tragic death of the "Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin. I was shocked and dismayed to learn of the loss of this man who always seemed, to me, larger than life; I grieved for his wife and two small children, who are now facing the rest of their lives without him.

Those grays will be lingering for just a while longer this morning.