Rain, Rain, Stay Stay Stay!

I really should close the windows.  It is in fact, raining.  The windowsills are wet and now have towels covering them.  The floor has a little of the same.  But I don't want to close them.  It's cold and rainy and I love the sound and the feeling.  It's after 1a.m., but I know that once I shut it down for the night, I'm going to sleep like a baby.  I'm usually awakened by some degree of discomfort, generally brought on by feeling way too hot.  Sometimes, drenched in sweat.  But not tonight!  I am totally enjoying this cool cold breeze, even if my blowing curtains are wet.  I can deal with that later.

Of course there are trains, whistles, and someone down the block who apparently is getting their Beatnik on, because they've been drumming for about three hours.  Even that isn't bothering me because this cold air has got me feeling fine.  What a switch from say, a year ago, when I was still complaining about the horrible Chicago winters and vowing to move to a warmer climate once my son graduates from high school.  At this rate, he'll be in school somewhere warm, and I'll be right here enjoying the cold water falling from the sky. I NEVER thought I'd be saying that because as much as I don't mind rain, I really hate it when it's cold.  Cold water falling on me always seemed particularly cruel.   I wonder if this is going to last, or if I'm going to go back to hating the cold once the "power surges" stop.  This is a very important thing to consider when planning to relocate.  At present, I think California or Florida would make me want to jump in the ocean.  That may not sound like a bad thing, but I can't swim.  See?  (The curtains have stopped blowing...no, please!)

Did I ever show the pictures of my niece's porch?  I decorated it one day while she was at work.  Pretty cool, huh?  Well I stopped by today and this rug has been torn to shreds and I can't blame her little Shih-Tzu, Pepper.  Nope this was shredded by a real shredding machine.  Pepper can make hay out of a pile of newspaper, but even she couldn't handle this job.  It was so violently vandalized that I couldn't even take a picture.  This is in the heart of the city, three floors up, so what could it be?  Raccoon?  Opossum?  Rat?  I know, that's just way too creepy, but you oughta see what's become of this thing.  It is was an outdoor rug, made from recycled plastic rope.  Now, it's a pile of plastic strings.  The weirdest thing?  There's no sign of the missing pieces.  You'd think there'd be a trail of string somewhere, but either it was eaten or carried away.  Well, at least they cleaned up their worksite.  Last consideration?  It was simply shredded, not with the intent of using the materials.  In this case, what a vindictive little critter it is.  I'm setting up a camera...I'll catch the little vermin varmint if it's the last thing I do.  Whilst I devise my plan, I'm going to lie down and enjoy the traffic, trains, drums and rain.  Oh good, the curtains are blowing again!