After weeks if not months of drought, the rains have come. With a vengeance. The dogs wolf their supper and then line up anxiously at the back door but as soon as I open it, they begin to back away, all three giving me their You don't really expect me to go out in that and actually get wet? look.
They've perfected this expression and seeing them huddled together and looking so miserable and put upon tugs at my heart but it isn't my first rodeo either. They each start the backwards belly crawl - is it even possible for a dog to look more abused, I wonder - and as a last resort I'm forced to shoo them with the tried and true gentle nudge technique, hoping all the while not to have to resort to the less gentle broom maneuver.
They finally realize that I have no intention of backing down and dejectedly, timidly and hurriedly scoot out the door, make an emergency run for the grass, and then sprint back as if their butts were on fire. It occurs to me that only a cat can look more resentful than a wet dog and to ease my conscience, I give each of them an extra biscuit and am rewarded with instant forgiveness. They trot off toward the bedroom, leaving a trail of muudy pawprints and by the time I've yelled NOT ON THE.....they're already there, burrowing deep into the pillows and looking ever so innocently pleased with themselves. It's a sad truth but even when I win, I really don't.
The rain has fallen all day and continues well into the night. The streets flood and the levees fill quickly with random tree limbs falling on random roads, "good sleepin' weather" as folks like to say. Darkness seems to come a little earlier these days and now and again there are strong hints of fall in the air. The animals and I curl up on the bed together and nap, listen to the rain and dream our dreams - they chase rabbits and I think of nights spent at the lake house watching lightening strikes through the cypress trees and falling asleep to rain pounding on the tin roof - just a patch had been especially installed over the master bedroom, specifically for the sound effect and it brought the rain sounds very near.
The wet weather seems to have a calming effect on the dogs and it takes no time at all before we are all settled into the evening routine. I decide it's as good a time as any to try out the new wireless keyboard I doubtfully bought to replace the old faded one.
All you do is plug it into a USB port, the young salesman had assured me, Batteries are included and it'll work like a charm.
I want to believe but have been here before and am not so trusting. I've never fully understood electricity never mind getting the same results without it and anything to do with a computer makes me mad on principle.
Promise? I ask him suspiciously, remembering the last computer related incident and the loss of a week's worth of time and energy. And the rage. Oh, the rage.
I solemnly promise, he tells me confidently.
Cross your heart? I ask and he laughs.
Take it out of the box, he says patiently and points to a little icon on the package, Plug this in to a USB port on the back of your computer. Unplug the keyboard and mouse you have now and switch them out, turn this little lever on the mouse to "ON", this little switch on the keyboard to "ON" and you're in high cotton. It's a breeze.
I can't believe it's going to be this uncomplicated but I follow his instructions anyway and to my utter amazement, it works just as he promised. I stand back in awe, feeling that I've somehow crossed an invisible line and wandered into uncertain high tech territory. I commend myself on my bravery while trying to steady my shaking hands.
The most overlooked advantage to owning a computer is that if they foul up, there's no law against whacking them around a little ~ Eric Porterfield
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