How to Shower in South Florida

I went back to sleep hearing a weather alert sound just before midnight.  I half heard some announcement of Tropical Storm Bonnie and went back to sleep.  This morning, as normal, I woke at 6 AM.

Mrs Dog started to rattle around wanting food.  Getting up, I fed her and begun the normal morning ritual.  In my case, that means roasting two ½ cups of green beans to make coffee when I later grind them to make the pot. 

While they were roasting, they infused the house with the strong and wonderful odor that only fresh roasted coffee beans can give.  I let the dog out the front door to do her business while the second batch was perfuming the kitchen.

Looking around my front yard, I noticed that it had not rained over night and the clouds were not dark enough for me to give it a second thought.  At that time of the day, I am not awake enough to give much of anything a second thought.

I grabbed the bags and the iPod and got myself and the dog out the door. 

Walking about a half mile from the house and back, I ran into one of the locals that I see from time to time.  He looked concerned since he was around a mile from home.  Apologizing that he had to get back before the rain started, we parted company.  He left me scratching my head about rain.  I looked East over Dixie Highway and the Railroad tracks towards the ocean beyond and saw that there were more of the grey flannel uniform of this morning's sky and still thought little of it. 

The air was thick but breezy, a normal early morning here.  There was a gentle scent of coffee on the breezes everywhere I went.  My own personal cologne was following me.

Walking through Wilton Manors is a part of living here.   Its fairly walkable, although we could use some improvements, and it is getting better with the efforts of the volunteers and the City Government.

I got out to Wilton Drive and as at the shops I felt one single drop of rain on my arm.  It still looked like grey flannel in the sky but This Isn't Good.

If you have ever watched a Making Of video you may see how they make it rain in Hollywood.  There are sprinklers on the roofs and they will turn it on and off like a light switch.  To go from clear to torrent with an eye blink is something that will surprise.

Right as I got to the open area, that happened to me.  It was an absolute torrent.  No roofs nearby so I soldiered onwards.  Drenched I made my way home.   As I rounded the corner near my house it happened again.  The rain simply stopped.  The silence was deafening. 

The result was a wet dog, a wet me, and it washed all my coffee cologne away. 

Thus was the beginning of Tropical Storm Bonnie here.  It isn't expected to be all that dangerous here, and should not be much more when it hits the Gulf of Mexico nothing more than some rain.