Rain, rain, come again

In a run of records — record highs, record lows and record snows — it would be a shame if we fall short this month of a rainfall record. John R. Pulliam, Register-Mail business reporter and intrepid weather-wiseacre, writes in today's paper a rather intriguing tale of Galesburg's flirtation with a record for April rainfall.  Like everyone else lately I've been cursing the weather, but now I'm sort of cheering for Thor. Bring on the rains; let's set that record!


When I stepped out the door this morning to run I was pleasantly surprised to find it was not raining. It was, however, damp, almost misting — shall we say simply misty? Thus it was fitting that the lead tune on the Nano was Owl City's "Hello Seattle." And to add to the coincidences, last night as I sorted through old college-era papers to continue my mid-life weeding of accumulated stuff, I came upon two manila folders of demographic information I collected on communities to which I thought I might like to move: Boulder, Colorado, and Seattle, Washington. Ah, the dreams of youth.

It was difficult to pitch so many interesting papers from my past. So difficult, in fact, that I kept more than half. Still, most of the political science crap went into the waste can (I saved the record of my illustrious grade appeal in which I fought for the D I had earned over the Incomplete kindly professor Villanueva had awarded me in hopes that I would complete my term paper — never started it — and achieve a better grade. Oddly, it appears the class was about environmental politics or something that should have interested me.) 

Just a pretty flowering tree I saw
by Cottage Hospital. Ah, spring!

I am somewhat enthralled by the BS I spewed in literary analysis essays and I imagine finding a way to do something creative with pages of notes from lit classes written in my tiny scrawl. Maybe I'll Mod Podge some into objets d'art. I often fancy the notion that my heirs will be equally intrigued by my material history. No doubt that is a fantasy. They don't know they stories behind the stuff. I don't even remember all of them and many aren't all that interesting.

And yet, there is no little excitement in the rediscovery of something now mysterious. Like the lovely thank-you note I found from professor Vos for my assistance as quiz master in the Foreign Language Quiz Bowl for high school students. I have no recollection of that. Nor of sitting on the grade appeals panel for the English department during my senior year.


OK, enough reverie, back to the run. Today's oddity of the day: An all-black bicycle with no tires resting against a hitching post on Bateman Street just a couple doors north of the Buck Girls' Homestead. It's like a black Ghost Bike memorial, a Shadow Bike if you will. What does it mean?

Oddity number two: No dandelions. I snapped a photo as I left church Sunday of a patch of the weed brought to us by our beloved George Washington Gale Ferris, inventor of the Ferris Wheel (thanks, George) but two days later there is no sign of them — and they weren't mowed. Strange indeed.


Not so odd but a taste of things to come as warmer weather ramps up to summer: first flat snake of the season. I came upon a pretty good sized garter snake squashed on the bricks of North Cherry Street. As I snapped its photo with my phone, a fella heading to his black pickup called over, "Got a frog?"

I didn't hear him at first, as my earbuds were a little loud, but he repeated the question while walking toward me as I pulled out the right bud.

"No, first squashed garter snake of the year," I replied.

He commented on the healthy size of the snake (a good 18 inches at least), considering it's early, but noted, "Out at the farm I get bull snakes, some of 'em that big around (making a circle with his thumbs and forefingers of both hands slightly overlapping, indicating a whopping 3 inches or so in diameter).

"Sometimes they'll get in the hay; they go through the baler, they're dead," he added.

Yup.

Today's Stats
Temp: 56/60/62 degrees F (Radio said 56, Time and Temp said 60, chiropractor office sign 62)
Distance: 4.97 miles (Can we call it 5?)
Treasure: 1 car lighter; 1 mini CD (Hayward Phantom: "Discover the World's Only Top and Bottom Pool Cleaner"); 1 plastic washer; 1 Easter-themed burp cloth (I honestly don't know what else it might be); 14 cans. Oh, and a dead garter snake, first one of the season.

iPod Playlist (shuffle)
Hello Seattle - Owl City (Had to link to video with horrid spelling, too)
I'd Have You Anytime - George Harrison
Apologies to Pearly - ZZ Top
Wrapped Around Your Finger - The Police
Savoy Truffle - The Beatles
Stay (Wasting Time) - Dave Matthews Band
You Crack Me Up - Huey Lewis & The News
Dark Island - Off Kilter
It's All Been Done - Barenaked Ladies
One Slip - Pink Floyd
You've got the Touch - Alabama
Old Dan Tucker - Bruce Springsteen
Hey Girl - Billy Joel
Parker's Band - Steely Dan
The River - James Taylor & Joni Mitchell
Baby - Justin Bieber (featuring Ludacris) — That's what you get for letting your kids use your iTunes