Before Dan was hired on with the sheriff’s department he had many jobs (not surprising since, at 30, he was the oldest rookie in that particular police academy corrections class). Several of his occupations took him outside, and here (as you well know) “outside” means inclement weather. I don’t recall when we all started calling waterproof garments Dry Daddy Raingear, but we did, me, him, and however-many children we had at the time. That phrase simply became the (always used) name of anything like a suit of clothes which keeps you dry. Whether you are the daddy or not.
Wanna guess what arrived on our front porch today? Yessiree, Dry Daddy Mommy Raingear. At a bargain price and shipped all the way from New Jersey (!!!), we are pretty damn impressed with what showed up.
When we first began this hunt we realized (immediately!) that we could not afford real bicycling choices. They are WAY too expensive. So we broadened the search (and by “we” obviously I mean “he”) to include all types of outdoor garments that would keep a person from getting wet. What we landed on was a better priced set that was light in color, even though not reflective. (Going budget-wise also eliminated all “extras” like pockets.)
This is a brand we’d never heard of (duh, it’s been decades since the original days of Dry Daddy Raingear) but we quickly noticed that it was somewhat better than we had expected and they seemed like a decent company. It feels very risky to me when I’m forced to order on-line and I can’t TOUCH everything. But this worked out. And we’re happy with the results.
I took the jacket for a test run this afternoon. We didn’t get rained on, but it felt as though we would, any minute now. We made a timed trial up to the pool property. There are several routes possible, and I drive two or three of them on a regular basis, so we needed to know which was the quickest, and how we could cut corners (literally) on foot instead of in a car.
The differences are minimal, one way is 1.69 miles, another (unexpectedly, since it’s way another direction to start off with) is 1.68 miles. Yeah, minimal might even be an exaggeration. We did it in under 40 minutes. (The elevation differences are huge though. HUGE!) There was not a lot of time to gaze about and take pictures, but I grabbed a few quickly.
Because they called out to me. The flowering of all kinds of shit is JUST around the corner, that’s the message I got today. As we went up one neighborhood hill after another, and then back down again, it was apparent that no matter how many more frosty mornings or nights we may get this Winter, the budding of Spring has begun.
The remainder of our afternoon (and evening) centered around acquiring food. My plateau continues to plague me, and I’m getting pissed off. Planning an entire week of mostly raw meals is challenging, I don’t want my fresh things to rot! But I also don’t want to have to go out and shop more every freaking day, or just drop into LAZY and eat crap that’s not going to be my best choices. Bleh. Eating and I still don’t get along.
(No digestion report, because there is nothing to report on.)
Tomorrow, before I head off to the pool, I’ll try to get a picture of my quickly-turning-SCARY-black bruised toe. It’s gonna be one of those WAY colorful injuries that entertains us for weeks.
Our daily draw is from a pretty god-heavy leaning deck. Prepare to substitute as necessary, but do pay attention, we can definitely all use this message right now.
“Healing ~ St Padre Pio.
This is a powerful card, as it signifies the power of prayer. Your requests regarding healing have been heard and answered. The situation is surrounded by God’s rejuvenating love and is resolving itself in a miraculous way. Your prayers are particularly powerful, so keep them up. You may also want to enlist the devotion of others (such as a church prayer group) to amplify this process.
This is also a message about your healing abilities and a call from Heaven for you to use those talents to help others in a more powerful way. If you elect to follow this calling, God will open the doors for your career. St Padre Pio, who both heals and helps those who follow this path, will inspire and protect you as you make any necessary life changes.
St Padre Pio was a tireless worker, devoted to personally helping the thousands who visited his church and hospital in Italy. In addition, his mystical experiences and healings are legendary. Many people report having visions of St Padre Pio, miracle healings and protection from harm are associated with these visits.”
I’d like to pause right now and make an announcement, because it is screaming in my head. When a reader says “that must be for someone else” or they comment “this message is probably not for me” I cringe inside, make loud noises outside, and often mumble horrifically bad words while angrily stomping my feet.
EVERY card is for EVERY person, and you read/find/see them at EXACTLY the right time for you. Today’s makes the perfect example, even if you are NOT drawn to this particular saint and you are NOT going to run right out and become a professional healer (western medicine or alternative) does NOT mean that this isn’t appropriate for, or valid to, YOU. (Yes, YOU!)
The definitions are simply using basic foundational words that MOST folks can easily associate with. Open up, reach past, and understand that on a higher level, in a more far-reaching all-encompassingly spiritual way, this message can be meaningful to ANYone. We ALL need healing, and we ALL go out and help others, in a healing and beneficial way. (No, we don’t all sew up head wounds or prescribe antibiotics, but we DO all contribute in positive and healing ways.)
Instead of stepping away from a message that maybe doesn’t spell out your name SPECIFICALLY, it is much more reasonable to figure that we are of use, we are lovingly aiding those we care about, and there is a universal energy connection happening here.
(End of lecture, beginning of homework assignment: go back and re-read that card’s definition, exchanging words that are easier for you to accept [the Universe, the Other Side, Mother Nature, White Light, karma, Goddess, ancestors, Mermaids, animal totems, Faeries, Elementals, The Force, tree spirits, etc] and FEEL how this message could actually apply to you on a very personal level, and in a beneficial and healing manner.)
Today’s Deck:
Saints & Angels Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue
LateNight Seattle UpDate: from Hanny, because it was super cool!
"Really digging this detail at the bar I'm in."
