Decisions, Decisions

 Watching the steam coming off my freshly brewed coffee and looking at the yellow and brown leaves outside of the window makes me want to stay right where I am. I have no gumption this morning to get up and do my morning dishes. I don’t want to collect the trash from my wastepaper baskets. I don’t want to go to the store to get needed items. Today, I am quite happy to sit here and watch the rain bounce off the leaves. The coffee smells too good to leave it before it cools.

    There are lots of chores I could do with Thanksgiving just a day or two away. But the view through the window keeps calling me back. It has been lightly raining for most of the night. The sounds of it helped me achieve another good night’s sleep. It would’ve been better if the windows had been open but those days have passed, the furnace is on now. As my father used to say, “We aren’t paying to heat Glenshaw!” It also might have been better if there had been a thunder storm, but I’m happy this morning, beggars can’t be choosers. Some say that the excessive amounts of negative ions caused by rain and storms help us to relax and to sleep better. I’ve always belived that, rain always helps me sleep.

    For the time being, the smell of the coffee and the relaxing view of the dancing leaves is enough to keep me relaxed. Occasionally a dark leaf will fall making me think that a bird has flown by. But the birds are elsewhere this morning. The rain is keeping them hidden from me, but they’ll be back once the bird feeders are hung up. That’s another chore for another day.

    The puddles in the yard reflect the tree limbs above them, these perfect images are disturbed as the rings from the rain drops distort the picture. Most of my views are straight out the window, 20 feet off the ground. The puddles are mostly unseen.

    The rain helps quiet the sounds of the morning. It blocks engine noises and horns. The morning trash pick-ups at the business’s below my home aren’t quite as noticeable, if heard at all. The sky is dark; there was no colorful brightening along the horizon this morning. The leaves continue doing their dance and I take another sip of my coffee and contemplate. Should I pick up a book and get lost in it or strike another chore off my list?

    Maybe I’ll just refresh my cup and think about it for awhile!

Rainy Day

Sitting in a small coffee shop, I look out of the window and watch as the traffic goes by. Thinking as the cars speed by, it seemed as if I’ve been doing this a lot, staring out the window.  So much of the day has spent doing this as compared to going outside and breathing in the fresh air. The weather tends to enforce this, the driving rain just isn’t inviting.

    It is another typical grey Pittsburgh day. The promise of rain came true, it has arrived. “Dismal” could be used to describe the day. There are no bright colors, nothing shines. Even the hoods and sides of the cars appeared muted.

    It is hard to be optimistic on days such as this. The chores around the house had been finished, a prescription still needs to be picked up at the local pharmacy and after that, the days plans will be completed.

    A fresh urn of coffee is being brewed, that is something worth looking forward to! A donut sits in a brown paper bag on the table. Decisions, decisions, should I wait for the coffee or just dig in, that is the question. I chose to wait for the coffee and continue to stare out the window and think.

    Looking at the uninspiring parking lot, the rain increases to a downpour. Going out to the car will involve getting drenched. The view from the window is a perfect spot to wait it out. Especially since a fresh cup of coffee is now in my hand.

    I had the idea that I would go out in search for some photos. A grey day didn’t mean that there wasn’t anything worth taking a picture of. The opportunities are endless no matter what the weather might present.

    Halfway through my cup of coffee the rain tapers off a bit, enough that I can make the “run” to the car. Back on the road, people in a hurry speed past me, their tires splashing my windshield and obscuring my view. The rains intensified again as I slowly make my way towards my pharmacy and then my nice, dry house.

    Thinking about photography, I realized that the only way I’d get any pictures today would involve getting very wet in the process. Still…the shots are always there, constantly changing as the day progresses and the weather changes. They are there; I just have to SEE them, I just have to get a little wet.

    The rain tapers off a bit so I take a short drive to a favored spot. Wildlife occasionally show themselves here, perhaps something will today.

    The rain has slowed to a mist, so I get out and take a short walk. I take a few pictures but nothing excites me. The rain increases again and I return to the car with nothing of importance stored in the camera.

    Then, it’s back to the quiet solitude of my home. A fresh cup of home brewed coffee, a partially read book to read and then, maybe a few more minutes of staring out the window…thinking about the pictures I could’ve gotten.

Mom Nature Strikes Again!

 

The weather has been playing games with me this weekend. Yesterday, it darkened my hopes of going out to our clubs observatory to hold a star party. It had never looked promising but every so often a bit of sunshine would break through the cloud bank. Thunder and downpours pushed any hope out of my mind.

Today was very similar. I just experienced rain, accompanied with thick dark clouds. Now, as I write this, five minutes after the rain, sunshine is glowing on the near-by field. I know there are more clouds, if not rain coming behind this brief bit of brightness. The star party for tonight has been cancelled.

I am sitting beside a stream enjoying the sounds the water makes. The stream is high and the water is dark. The sounds are soothing, water tumbling over rocks accompanied with occasional chirping of birds. No cars pass by, increasing the feeling of isolation.

The wind blows through the trees, a little psithurism to accompany the birds and giving a bit of movement to the scene I’m looking at. The field lightens up and then like clockwork darkens again. Looking at the sky, there is no clearing, only thinning cloud cover. Dark angry clouds drift along the edge of the valley with pale haze overhead.

I have known for weeks that the weather this weekend would be bad. When planning a star party, it is always a gamble, especially here in Pittsburgh where the weather is prone to rain and clouds. I shouldn’t be disappointed or upset, the odds were against us!

It has been a long time since our club, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, held a star party. Over 20 months according to one of the members. The Covid epidemic has put a hold on so many things in our lives, the star parties are really a minor thing! But still, we miss them!

There have been a lot of discussions about these star parties. Will it be safe, how can we keep our equipment clean and sterile? Do we need masks? Do we need to worry about possibly catching anything by allowing the public to use our gear?

Most of us are going along with the idea that if we are vaccinated, we should be safe. The desire to share the night sky with others drives us on!

My own personal schedule has opened up and I didn’t have any required demands for Friday nights. I have been looking forward to this weekend since the star party dates were announced. Even as I penciled in the dates, I knew my chances were slim. Still I kept my fingers crossed.

A small bit of blue sky drifts overhead, surrounded by grey clouds. Dark, thick clouds are moving into view. The blue sky was just a tease. Mother Nature is playing with me, laughing at my hopes and my dreams.

Rain drops start splashing on my windshield and spotting the surface of the stream. There won’t be any telescope viewing tonight. I guess this will only make the next clear night all that much more enjoyable!

Last but not least, this cartoon reminded me of Pittsburgh…for some odd reason.