Rain Things

I took a walk in Friday rain, a morning walk, and thought about the blue REI raincoat I was wearing. I have owned it for 33 years and walked in rain on four continents with it. It is a trusted friend, much like the pea coat I have owned for 22 years. It is good to have garments like that, such as the black leather belt I’ve had for 26 years and the green Puma sneakers I’ve had for 30. I also still use the sleeping bag I took to Europe, Asia and Mexico 30 years ago. I’ve slept out in the rain in that bag. I long for a new rain dog, like Ray, Sonny and Jo Jo. I just move so much better in rain with a dog. New rain territory is beckoning. I mean that both in the literal and metaphorical sense. I’m watching rain fall upon a cedar as I write this. I hear the squeaking of swing set nearby. Someone is swinging in the rain. Tonight there will be high school football in rain, but unfortunately for the players, many of them will have to play on fake grass, made from oil. There will be no poetry in that. This is soup weather and I will whip up something soupy for lunch. I received a nice email from someone who once told me I redefined rain for her with my book about rain, which wasn’t about the weather at all. I’ve noticed more umbrellas for sale in thrift stores. You used to never see them. So much about Oregon is changing, even more or less rain, depending on where you live. We’re into October and the big rain blow that annually sweeps across Western Oregon is imminent. It will then be Sometimes a Great Notion time, to read and rain. This season, I’ll be listening to rain striking a metal roof. It will be occasionally deafening, and when that happens, I’ll smile, talk to myself aloud, and wish I had a dog.