A Drizzly Day Brings Freshness

It's drizzling. I can't say "I'm under the weather" because the weather has been pretty consistently rainy. Today though it feels good being up early listening to the birds that love this weather. I've always loved rain. Except in Los Angeles. Smog (years ago) dirtied the screens, and since it really doesn't rain much in So. Calif my dad would take a hose to the windows and screens. I would watch him from inside the house as he got all of that gunk out of the screens. It was fun watching the water comming right at you and the effect the window barrier had.

Different people would say they loved the smell after a rain. To me it always smelled like dirty screens. Except here in the wild midwest. Freshly mown grass, the authentic smell of cleanliness. One of the first things I noticed about the midwest on the morning I woke up (I got in at night)to the cleanest windows I had ever seen. No gunk anywhere. Spring green and freshness. Even the birds had color, yellow finches, cardinals, blue jays, robins. The first time I saw a yellow bird in someone's backyard I said, "Somebody's bird got loose!" My friends laughed and told me it was a yellow finch and that they had tons of them, I was truly in awe.

Where I came from we had crows, sea gulls, wrens, doves and pigeons. Trees turned out to be the same thing. Green in summer then their leaves would turn brown and fall off. I needed to move to the midwest just to see the color version of life. The free feeling, few fences and sidewalks, not too much graffiti around here. Life here is colorful, opulent, quiet and the grass is so green. Our grass in L.A. had to be watered by the hose or with a sprinkler system. I think that was one of the things that amazed me. My house growing up, our lawn didn't need to be mowed very often. And it was often dead dry grass when the area had to conserve water. I'm so glad I moved.

People all the time ask me why would I leave L.A.? These are usually people who have maybe been for a visit, or haven't been but have watched the Tournament of Roses Parade with it's "Always blue skies" How mother nature pulled that off year after year is beyond me. Through our picture window in our living room we could see Mt. Baldy, a mountain with usually snow on the peaks. My husband, who was there for the first time didn't believe me when I said we had a view of the mountains through our window. We had apartments across the street. We had to wait seven days for the smog to clear out (usually after a rain!) before he believed me. He was amazed. We used to joke that "I don't trust breathing air I can't see."

I like clean air and the green grass, colorful flowers and different colored birds. I have a philosophy about birds such as the cardinal and the yellow finch. Their purpose here on earth is for our enjoyment. Neither one of them have colors and markings to camouflage them from enemys. They don't blend in to the blue sky or green trees and grasses or snow. I love to see them, it is always a treat.

Well, I think it is obvious that I am doing well today. Now to go downstairs, it's kind of chilly, I'll make myself some Abuelita hot cocoa and some breakfast. Then go to worship God.

Have a great day!