After being verbally beaten into submission by my distressed yardman, I finally agreed to water the crepe myrtle and azaleas. It was against my better judgement - death by neglect has always been my motto when it comes to green and growing things that need tending - but I'd given my word. And so I discovered that the water hose was missing a nozzle. On my way back to work, I dashed into the hardware store - upscale, airy, overpriced - and was approached by a young man who gave me a big smile and asked if he could help find anything.
I need a...... and to my surprise, the word evaporated in mid sentence. Sorry, I mumbled, I need a.... a thing....a whatchamacallit ......and while I was still trying to retrieve the elusive word and on the point of resorting to gestures, he gave me a thoughtful, straight faced frown and in a perfectly serious voice, asked, What color?
It was a good moment, a light, laugh out loud moment and I was grateful for it. The day was looking up and that same afternoon, after some 50 days of drought, a cluster of violent thunderstorms came crashing through the city like a killer wave, scattering tree limbs and flooding the streets in a matter of minutes, bringing relief from the scorching heat and moisture to the starved ground. I wondered if there might be a connection between my shiny new water nozzle and the sudden climate change - if so, I should have bought it weeks ago.
The following morning there was still thunder rumbling overhead but even at five am the air was oppressive and steamy hot. Our long hot summer seems far from over.
Don't underestimate the small things and unexpected moments.
1 comment:
Went out yesterday and purchased a watcha-ma-call-it and two thing-a-ma-sprayers. Now its raining and I believe we may have discovered one of the laws of the universe here.
Post a Comment