January 10, 2008

Winter is the new spring

One of the signs that I'm adjusting to California is that, when I see the gravel along the road being misted with fresh greens, I think, "It must be winter, there are weeds!"

In the last two weeks it's been raining every few days. I love it. Our office is on the third floor overlooking the San Mateo County airport and a National Wetlands area. If I turn away from the computer, I can watch egrets stalking or pelicans flying past. I love seeing their silhouettes emerging from the misty rain that has enveloped us. Yesterday we all crowded the window as a rainbow appeared over the runway--end to end touched down just outside our window.

I've developed a superstition. If I see one of the little planes coming in for a landing, I have to watch it finish. My fear is that I might turn my back and not see it crash. Our staff meetings are often punctuated by horrified gasps as a plane wobbles down toward the runway.

Now that it's an exception, only appearing for two months a year, I love the rain. The frantic pace of life seems to slow. Commutes clog up even worse, people are late for work, it's easy to curl up with a good book and there's cloud action instead of a blue bowl overhead.

3 comments:

Mama Nabi said...

I think I want to work in your office... it's so grey, dirty, cold around here right now. (Snow melted a bit which creats the dirty aspect...)
I love rain... and I miss living somewhere that doesn't require extra half hour to get ready because of the extra layers of clothing...

Beloved said...

I have little superstitions like that too--must be the New England in us. Sometimes they really interfere with my life.

swallow said...

what a pretty picture. sometimes i forget that not everywhere is covered with concrete and steel. wetlands and egrets. something to mentally superimpose over the daily view.