the rain rain rain came down down down

Sis's,

All right, so I know it's not my turn, but I had to share my story of the day.

I went for a bike ride this evening. Observe

And that's my front side. Nevermind that I don't have a rear fender. Yes, ok, so by now I should really know better. But, in my defense, (or is it a defense?) I wouldn’t have been so drenched if I hadn’t gotten so utterly lost. Here’s what went down:

The blue line is Google telling me where to go; the red line is where I went. As you see, there is a major discrepancy. Once I reached 82nd Ave I became seriously suspicious of my navigation skills and had to phone home for some Mapquest/mom assistance. Three hrs and 15 miles later I was finally home. Luckily I had my Goretex jacket on, but, as already communicated via the photograph, no rainpants. Just yoga pants.

My lostness was partially due to the fact that tons of street signs in Portland are twisted around, i.e. Ainsworth St says Vancouver Ave and Vancouver Ave says Ainsworth St. It happens a lot, to a marked degree, and to the point where I wonder how such a thing is even possible. It had to have been a vehicle that turned these signs around.

The only precedence I have for this is with our childhood bus driver Ms. Skitene {(who took out street signs rounding corners, when her bus was full of children, and when one corner happened to curve around a ravine (remember, by that house on the hill that used to give out King-sized candy bars at Halloween?)}. Could it be that Ms. Skitene  has that many twinsies in the world? (And, by the way, did we call her Ms. Skiddin’? Because we should have.) I also saw a pair of Hummer limos on my bike ride today, unpacking at the park with girls in puffy ballroom dresses, undoubtedly celebrating Quinceneras. Maybe it was a vehicle like theirs that is responsible for these sign turnarounds. Hard to say.

Despite getting lost, and despite the unrelenting rain, I have to admit I found myself very charmed by the season's affects. All of the trees are changing colors. The golden leaves are my favorite; against the grey clouds they are breathtaking. Some parks and sidewalks are completely blanketed with them. I think my subconscious expects to see munchkins. Actually, I was admiring a sidewalk like this when I noted a peculiar white stripe in my bike lane…it was a white stripe where nothing but my tires should be. Well, upon closer inspection I discerned that it was a skunk that had been run over repeatedly and rendered 2-dimensional, matted with rain. Not quite a munchkin. Though this was another wonder of the day, more wonderous than revolting -- no buts about it, this skunk has jumped dimensions, from living and breathing as a 3d in the 4d, to presiding solely in the 2d. Kinda like Quantum Leap, except probably not really. Well, maybe like Al in Quantum Leap.

We discovered today that our Bunny, “Bun,” has fleas, so hopefully the dollop of flea gel treatment that we put on her neck will keep them at bay. I Googled bunny fleas and learned that bunnies demand a lot of grooming. Apparently they should be brushed once a week, as they lick and groom themselves but don’t have the capacity to cough up furballs a la kitties. Sometimes their bunny fur gets stuck in their digestive system. We’ll have to get a brush sometime. I’m curious how long she’s had them. I never noticed her itching before. Regardless, for now she has been quarantined to her cage.

-J