We had a party last weekend; our "2nd Annual Labor Day Party". There was great food, lots of people, plenty of kids, one old dog, an array of beverages for all ages and types, and of course.... crummy weather.
Isaac had been making his way up through the heartland and had finally turned east. We watched the weather closely to see how we would be affected. Saturday morning the weather man optimistically assured us the rain would arrive late. Saturday should be OK, except for the occasional shower, but Sunday and Monday could be pretty wet. We set up an awning for people to sit under in case of a shower, or to keep off the sun. We cleaned the patio. We packed coolers with ice, water, and sodas so the kids would stay out of the refrigerator. We packed the refrigerator with beer. Lots of beer. Several kinds of beer. And Wine. (gotta have the wine.)
At 2:30 the first 'shower' arrived. Not to worry, I thought. As long as it is out of here by 5:00. At 4:30 the thunder began. At 4:45 the heavens opened. At 5:00 the rain paused and people began arriving. The coolers were placed in the basement Man Cave/party room. At 5:05 the heavens once again opened all its doors. A few neighbors had not shown up yet.
One texted "Is there a rain date?"
"NOPE, we're all in the basement. Just wait until it slows enough that you can see our house, and run on over."
The kids played. They played Tag. They played Hide and Seek. They played Squeal and Shout. They were having a wonderful time.
The adults talked, and mingled, and drank, and nibbled. They drank some more. We moved from appetizers to the main course. They ate, and talked and mingled, and refilled glasses. The kids continued to play the Squeal and Shriek game.
The old dog paced, went from child to child in search of food, and adult to adult in search of love.
The rain cleared and we sent them out to play. They saw lightning and came back in. One parent's eyes crossed as she mumbled to her friend, "oh go out and play anyway. it won't hurt you..."
The lightning moved on. The adults moved outside, and wiped off benches and seats and sat in the muggy, dark, quiet, cool of the night.
The next morning we woke up. I remained in bed in a groggy half sleep as Larry got his shower. He dropped something making a clatter and I jumped, (in my sleep). The dog slept on.
We went to breakfast at a local, popular tiny restaurant that is always packed. It is the kind of place 'where everybody knows your name'. After waiting for a table we took the one nearest the door. Shouts of welcome greeted newcomers from people already eating. It truly is a local haunt. Our eyes glazed over. The din was relentless. If we were hungover, we would have deserved the pain. But we weren't. We simply have Old Ears. Ears that are far removed from the normal noise of a household of kids. Ears that have adjusted to the Empty Nest. Ears that no longer bend and flex to the varying sound waves the way they did when we were 20.
Breakfast over we went back to our quiet home. No TV. No radio. No noise. We moved slowly through the day.
Oh yes... Sunday and Monday they were still predicting 60% chance of rain, but alas, the skies were overcast, but dry. Perfect for a picnic.
No comments:
Post a Comment