Watching The Rain, The Ducks, and Procrastinating.

"If I misread RADAR, I'll just sit in the Jeep for an hour, watch the rain, and come back."

And that is exactly what happened.

I've always been quite good at predicting where storms will go.  Up North, it's pretty much a West to East progression.  The weather today in Chicago is the weather in Pittsburgh tomorrow, and the day after in Philadelphia.

Here in South Florida, it can come from any direction.  Storms may bloom and crop up anywhere in the wet season.  Having a good radar program available, and learning how to read it means the difference between being able to enjoy the outdoors and getting back to the trailhead looking like a drowned rat.

Every so often, you get to sit in the Jeep and head home.

Today.  I sat in the Jeep.  Listened to the CBC Radio 1 from Canada on the internet for an hour.  Then I came home.  Got to watch ducks.  Ducks walked past the car, then returned.

I once looked up from the phone after re-tuning to a different radio station and was being watched.  Squirrels.  They're used to me.  I park in the same spot every single time I use the park, or as close to it as possible.  I think they're trying to convince me to feed them but I know better.

Look up again, and it's the ducks flying past.  Something scared them, they're not too bright. 

Look down at the phone and it's 8AM.  My hour of thumb twiddling is over.  The Canadians are telling me the news.  Same headlines I heard while feeding Rack at home from the BBC a couple hours back.

I'm up at 515 in the morning, whether I am going out or not.  Since I have Rack, I go out every day.  A mile and a third, or about 2 Km, for the first walk. 

The very first thing I do after canceling the alarm is to check Radar and get a weather report.  I knew today would be a wet one, there was a cluster of storms vectoring right toward my head.

So as I walk into the kitchen the cells hit and my quiet house sounds like rain on a hot tin roof.  Pleasant enough, but it would delay me getting things done.  Rack is still terrified of thunder, and this is the place Where Thunder Is Born.  He did eat his food, but we sat around until it got quiet.

Everything has its time.  Rushing a dog because the weather is ugly is not really a good idea.  All it will do is make him wet, and get me to sit under a tree, in a park, watching ducks.

Like today.