Sunday Rain and Shopping with Men

It rained on Sunday evening! This morning a patchy fog covered areas. This is the driving range I see on my way out to work. As I type this, it’s 90. A cool spell.

After the summer we have had, seeing raindrops is a major event. We sat on the porch quietly for a while and listened. It didn’t last long. The soft rain soaked in a bit then ended in an hour. It was enough to calm our hot, dry selves.

I stood in the soft rain and let it cool me. The bathing hummingbirds were celebrating, I think.

The whole community of them, maybe twelve or fifteen strong, mesmerized me. They shared dinner and chatted for a while.

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Earlier in the day…

Quite often, I’ll witness Michael doing something odd that makes me roll my eyes. He’ll reply back to me, “Put THAT in your blog!” HA! OK...

On Sunday afternoon we visited the Black Lion store where you browse with wide eyes over 150 vendor rooms full of framed art and antiques, upscale gifts, home accessories, Christmas decorations, and furniture. We’ve spent the last two years decorating our home and are still not finished. I just realized that today is our two-year anniversary as homeowners in North Carolina!

First let me talk about the ride to Black Lion. He has a new Tundra in which he loaded six CDs but didn’t learn how to play them because that would have required reading the manual. I wonder why some people can push buttons and drive and some can’t? After he nearly took out two mailboxes which made me squeal and suggest, “just drive the truck”, he decided to fasten his seat belt while zigzagging into merging traffic. I’d rather not hear Mob Hits, the Beach Boys, or Scottish bagpipes, anyway. I hold on, close my eyes, and hope for the best. This is they way he drives. Passengers with him feel the shifts and turns like a ride on the Tilt a Whirl. Ok in an amusement park – not on country roads.

We arrive at the store and I watch him scan fifty Yankee candles in record time. While I’m taking my time and still reading the labels of Eucalyptus, Sage, Fresh Linen, Sea Mist, Fresh Cut Roses, Willow Breeze…he’s on the other side uncapping the fruity scents. Clickety-clack, clickety-clack – fifty sniffs, DONE. “This one is too orangey.” I reply, “Uh hum. Put it down.”

Then, off to look for decorative pieces for the fireplace mantle and shelves in the family room. This is what he fondles:

He has a fruit fetish. Loves coconuts. This isn’t what he saw on Sunday but it’s a typical example of what intrigues him.

He loves pineapple art. I watch his size 15 fingers rotate a work of art like this close to his eyes. “Hey, Mare? It’s only fifteen dollars!” Mare isn’t there. She’s already around the corner laughing uncontrollably and wondering what in the world it is!

This is NOT something I would display. “You can’t be serious, Michael.”

In all fairness, he does have good taste in art on some occasions. We have both agreed on some items we proudly display. His interest in fruity art, however, makes me wild. We purchased a few things on Sunday but the best thing we brought home was a new back brush for the shower from Bed, Bath & Beyond!

In the mood for a late lunch, we decided to try something new. Fast food sickens me and for a decade, the smell of a Burger King Whopper made me nauseous. This is where we landed for a burger treat we seldom enjoy.

Eating inside a fast food restaurant with dozens of children and adults having their last fast food celebration before the beginning of school didn’t make for the cleanest place…my menu was soaked in chocolate shake. Blech!

When our steak burger order arrived, we both looked at each other and said, “Where’s the damned BEEF?” Zero stars.

On the way home, we arrived at an intersection and he wondered where the road would take us if we turned left instead of right. I wasn’t in the mood to be lost for an hour and said, “Oh, just turn right.” I had birds and dogs to feed. Not a bad day, really. I laughed until I cried.