Blitzen Sans Donner

Optimism alone does not bring desired results. A bit of sun peeked through summer clouds at 10:00 this morning when I hung out my wash. Even the heaviest corduroy would be dripped dry enough to bring in by nightfall. At the time I asked myself, “What if those clouds decide to open and spill water upon me as they had been doing all the way as I drove from Othello to Pasco.” And I answered myself, “You know the clothes will just get wetter.” But I also told myself that the clouds were wrung out and would rain no more.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Not only did the clouds rain more, lightning darted around the dark clouds rather delightfully. I heard no thunder but Thor did not have to roll any war drums to turn on the faucet. Rain drenched the dust off my sweet little Hyundai. And other places. I did not get to watch squirrels horsing (or squirreling) around in the Douglas Fir or hear the House Finch proclaiming his arrival in my arborvitae as I expected. April showers are early and I can live with that. My clothes will just have to hang out longer than I planned. They will eventually drip dry. My optimism tells me so.
Naomi Sherer