Thursday, March 18, 2010

Don't Rain On My Parade

I woke up this morning a bit out of sorts.

The weatherman had promised me that on my day off today, it was going to be partly sunny and 67F. I had planned an awesome day outdoors. I wanted to get into my garden so badly...

He promised! I made him pinky swear and everything :( Damn you Les Still!



(I know, I know, I have mad skills with 'Paint'. If you ever need any graphic design work done, just call me...)

Mr. A woke me up this morning and gave me the bad news, Dennis Downer style. "Hey Kyna, guess what? It's going to be raining all day and kinda chilly. Oh, and our house payment went up."

!!!

*insert many nasty expletives here*

How does the weather report change that drastically overnight? How could Mister Still not see that coming?? Or should I call him



And it's not even a pretty sort of rain. I love it when the day is sunny, with awesome thunderstorms here and there to break up the day. I love a good thunderstorm...

Last September, Mr. A and I took a trip to New Bern. New Bern is a town to the North of us, founded in 1710. Their 300th birthday celebrations will be going on this summer. Fun Fact: New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi. I'll write more about New Bern another day, it's a beautiful old town (I didn't take this photo)



New Bern has a beautiful waterfront. There's a massive gazebo, and a beautiful walkway that winds around the edge of the Neuse River.

At the end of last summer, millions of fish started floating dead on the top of the river. They showed pictures on the news, and we couldn't believe it. We decided to take a trip up there (it takes about 45 minutes) and check it out.



This picture is terrible and blurry. It definitely doesn't show the massive amount of fish carnage, you'll have to take my word for it. Farther out into the water, it looked like there was a weird, patchy foam on top. The foam was dead fish. You shoulda smelled THAT smell. O_O

Apparently something happened in the water where the oxygen levels just happened to drop rapidly. And voila! Dead fish. There was a complicated scientific explanation, but that's the best I can do with making it short. This went on for weeks.

While we were there, the weather alternated between beautiful and stormy looking. You could be standing in the sunshine, and 50 feet away from you there would be sheets of water coming down. And that rain would sometimes skirt around you! It was crazy. Of course I took a few pics. If you look closely at the water in the third one, you can all of the dots of fish...bleah.












This is the kind of rain I like. Not the gloomy, monochromatic, melancholic, overcast mess I'm seeing out my window this morning. I'm trying to think of it as a good thing, but rain is never a good thing when it's on my day off!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Kyna, Look on the bright side:

1. Mr. A got up first and no doubt brought you breakfast in bed.
2. It is your day off.
3. You can watch EVERYTHING on daytime television with a clear conscience.
4. You will not have aching limbs at the day's end.
5. Your garden is being watered automatically.
6. The increase in the house payment could have been double.
7. You have plenty of time to prepare a romantic, candlelit dinner for two [but I suggest that you steer clear of a fish course].

Have a very happy day!

Jayne said...

Edith Hope has a wonderful outlook on things! I hope Mr. A. spoils you today, but I concur -- skip the fish dinner....

Noelle Johnson said...

I love all that Edith said....have a wonderful dinner with your husband and look forward to your next rain-free day off :-)

Curbstone Valley Farm said...

Mr. Magoo...I agree, maybe your weatherman does need specs! I'm sorry it's all gloomy on your day off. On the upside, the rain is good for the garden.

We have similar fish die-offs here. Not uncommonly with anchovies. I've responded to calls for oiled seabirds on more than one occasion. Anchovy are rather oily, and when they die en masse, they can leave a bit of an oil-slick on the surface of the water. Greedy birds gorging themselves on a free fish supper, then get coated in goo. Ewww.

Kyna said...

Actually everyone, it's really amusing...Before I read all the responses, I had just come back from the grocery store. I did get fish!! LOL Some nice tuna steaks, which I'm going to throw on the grill. Nice teriyaki marinade. With thai noodles. :D

Edith: You're so positive. I wish I could be like that. I am getting better as I get older though, I used to be a lot more negative, believe it or not ;)

CVF: Ew! lol

Kimberly said...

Very rude awakening! Not nice! Your photos are lovely, though. The town is sweet and welcoming, and the storm photos are amazing!

Jess said...

You know, I think Edith has spent a lot of time in the UK to have come to that level of peace with gloomy weather. That can be the only explanation :)! I'm with you. Gloomy triple layer clouds and rain just make me wish that it would get dark already so I don't have to see it.

Martha said...

I suspect that I'm not a Real Gardener, because I think I'd be secretly pleased for an excuse to stay home and hang out and blame it on the rain. :)

Kyna said...

Kimberly: I know! He asked me after work why I was tired, and I was like, "well I was PLANNING on sleeping in but you fixed that!' LOL

Jess: Maybe you're right, is she Edith? :) When I moved here, it was so beautiful weather-wise, that I quickly became a wimp for cold/snowy/rainy weather. Now everytime there are one or more of those conditions, I yell 'I thought I move here to escape that!' lol :D

Chicken: Ok, Milli Vanilli :P lol. I think I had enough staying home the first two years I was here. Now I want to be out! :)

Jim Groble said...

So you didn't have to water and got to take some neat pics.from the look of the clouds, does march showers bring Noak's ark? jim

Carol said...

Beautiful sky and rain shots... horrible about the fish! New Bern looks like a sweet town a nice getaway spot. Rain helps plants to grow... better too much than a drought I always cheer myself on that way. ;>)

Anonymous said...

Urg. The thought of a fish dinner has really turned my stomach! I'll swap you some rain for some clear sunny skies, as long as you give them back after a few days :)

The Idiot said...

Kyna, rain is a state of mind. Here in the UK, we try to ignore it. We stand, face into the battering rain, and declare it to be a lovely day. I've just ventured indoors from a rainy digging day to change my sodden clothes. Then I'll be back out there, raindrops bouncing off my face, as I remember why I am luckist man alive; because te sun is always shining in my mental head!!!

Karen ~ Wall Flower Studio said...

Amazing storm photos, Kyna!
And I enjoyed your "paint" job! Also a big fan of Mr. Magoo, but not as a weatherman.
Glad not to have smelled that heady fish scent! Shall take your word for it : )

Kyna said...

Jim: Actually, I considered building an Ark myself a few times this 'winter'...:P

Carol: New Bern is pretty cool! I definitely am going to do a feature on it :)

Gippy: Deal! :D

IG: I was born in the wrong place I guess lol. I hate getting wet unless I've meant to become that way. The only time I didn't mind, was if I was playing in a Gaelic football game. I was so concentrated on winning, that I didn't care if I was covered in mud :P

Karen: Thanks! I'm so glad you stopped by to check my blog out :D

Amy said...

Your posts always make me smile. That terrible weatherman always giving you hope on your day off and then the real weather shows up. :/

Susan (aka Sunny) said...

I know exactly how ya feel Kyna...it's overcast and gloomy here as well....I guess I am thankful for no snow because typically we would still have some around this time of year...

debsgarden said...

I hope by now you have had some sun and another off day to enjoy it! I think this is the wettest March in history for us, but finally we had two beautiful sunny days yesterday and the day before. Today is raining again and so cold there is a mention of snow in the forecast. In Alabama? No way! Happy Spring!