The Rain

People don't get why I have this mysterious love affair with Seattle. While I can go on and on about the majestic beauty of the Cascades watching over a vibrant and progressive city which has strangely always felt like I had been there in some previous life, most people retort with "but it always rains there". This isn't true -- summers are beautiful and I like to point out that Greenville gets more annual rain than Seattle (even though Greenville has far fewer cloudy days overall). But I've never minded the rain anyway. I love being confined indoors, with nothing to do but watch a movie or take a nap, clean up or just do nothing.

So it's probably been a good thing that it's been pouring rain in Cleveland the last couple of days, because Dad wouldn't fare very well in Seattle. While he has plenty of indoor things that can keep him moderately happy in his usual day-to-day life, Chuckles is far too outdoorsy to really want to stay inside unless he's given a reason. So it's been nice for him to rest, relax, walk on the treadmill a bit, and get used to feeling just a little bit different than before he went in for the surgery. When I talked to him this morning, he said he was feeling some soreness -- but at least he could pinpoint where it was, as opposed to in the hospital when he'd just feel it all over. Best part of all is the appetite is returning -- Dad has always been a big breakfast guy (on the weekends anwyay, do we still own that terrible griddle that would destroy waffles?), and both yesterday and today he ate things like eggs and I think some bacon (or sausage?) or somethin' like that. Eating is good -- I think both Mom & Dad have lost a little weight over the last couple of weeks!

Tonight, Uncle Fritz will get into Cleveland...which means tomorrow, Mom can go home. I'm sure she is thrilled. If she hasn't counted the days, it totals 21 now. That's a lot of days to be away from home. And next week, by this time, Dad will be just a few days away from making his own journey home.

Sunny thoughts like those are better than any umbrella.