Hanging around, nothing to do but frown. Rainy days and Mondays, always get me.... Yep, that's it, rainy days on any days gets me, like in a sentimental good way. Today, I won't fight or resist the urge to settle down with a good book, maybe even The Good Book, maybe some hot chocky or decaf cinnamon coffee from Taste of Texas, in the bonus room, with fake fire stove heater going and wrapped up in a throw. Then when Buddy wakes up from whatever napping spot she has decided upon, she'll join me, either on my lap or on the pillows next to me looking out the window. Yep, those are my afternoon plans that might stretch into the evening. Then the song has to be changed to, I love a rainy night, love a rainy night.
Not all share the love of a rainy day...I probably only love a rainy day when I get to stay home. With all the rain we had over the weekend, a watchful eye is being kept of rivers, roads and rock slides. Being a Baptist and learning alliteration comes in handy. One lane has reopened through the Natahala, rain caused rock slides again, but read this morning that now power lines are down across the road and it is closed once again. The French Broad is up nearby but not near to coming out of the banks. I checked it out yesterday as I drove over to Weaverville. You can see a few new rocks and displaced dirt on the river road, but no slides as of this writing. This is looking to be the highest rainfall total for February around these parts and we aren't even halfway through the month. The forecast is for rain until Thursday.
Enough weather reports, whether they be boring or breaking. When I got home from church yesterday, well, after I got home from lunch with Brenda yesterday, my heart and thoughts were just so joyful. We have such a wonderful Sunday School class, full of supportive and funny friends. We love one another, pray for each other and rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. We are so fortunate and blessed, we are also so blessed that we get to have two Sundays in Nehemiah. So many books here lately have been the one and done variety. Nehemiah is so layered and deep, with so many different subjects we could rest on; prayer, leadership, how to's for enemy resisting, faithfulness and generosity. As much as I love Nehemiah, it wasn't until last week I picked up on...this is Nehemiah's diary or journal...his memoirs.
Dena sent me a copy of the book, Culture Code Champions, by Bill Higgs. He is one of the founders of Mustang Engineering, a great entrepreneur, mentor, Believer, and innovator. When I first met Dena she worked at Mustang, leading the marketing and communications group. Over the years I have heard the stories and traditions that were started, developed and shared, all beginning at Mustang. Mustang had all kinds of swag and my goal was to have one of everything they stored in their goody closet. Didn't happen but I told Dena I would know I was close to having everything when I got the pic up sticks. They had the best pens and I found one the other day cleaning out a drawer. Happy, happy, happy! Roy, Mustang did quite a bit of work for the company Roy works for, loved his Mustang calendar, the shrimp boils and he was able to get a couple of framed prints of work that had been done for EPD. I think he misses the shrimp boils the most. Anyway, I read through the book on Friday, saw Dena's name a couple of times...I know her! I teased her saying, I don't work, but maybe I can put these principles to use with my little feral family. They are a stubborn group, that is for sure. But, I was able to use one example in the Nehemiah lesson yesterday. Unlike so many books in this genre, it doesn't have a ton of pictures of "look at me." None of, here I am starting the company, here I am speaking to the company, here I am at a conference....here I am with someone famous.... Very few pics but the one I love the most, is Bill standing with the receptionist in the main lobby. He makes a great point, the receptionist is as important as your biggest seller, most creative employee, or highest degree holding employee. She is the first face many times or the first voice of your company. She or he can make or break an impression. I was telling Roy about the book and he bought it on Kindle. It is his delightful reading on the bus going into downtown and coming home. Last year I got to go with Dena to Charleston as Forbes Publishing celebrated the kick off as the book, in the beginning stages as being written by Bill. Such a fun time and enjoyed hearing the stories of Mustang and then from others who have started businesses and successes, inspired by Bill and doing it the Mustang way. Years ago I had a dream that I was hired by Mustang to be in charge of the goody closet. We laugh about it now, but it is one of my favorite dreams, that I can remember.
Looking out the window I cannot help but sing, "Who'll stop the rain?"
This morning, before serving breakfast to all the ferals that hang out around here on a consistent basis, I gave them a little snack. One of the most captivating views that happen with these cats is this, they respond to the sound of the porch door being opened. I have a bell on the door and these cats become Pavlov's dog when they hear the bell and the sound of the sliding screen opening. I watched four kittens and Strawyer come running down the hill from the gravel road to the porch steps. It made me laugh, such a joyful sight. Knowing these cats and how they like to eat, I scatter treats on all three steps cause there must be some kind of pecking order. The more I watch Edee, the most aggressive eater of the bunch, I think that Mr Meany got in one last...uh, hook up with Punky cause her head, expressions and eyes look like Mr Meany and Mr McBeavy. Neither one of those cats ever observed cat protocol. Edee is carrying on the family tradition. Before coming back upstairs, I watched Andy, Edee, and Beanie play on those chairs meant for plants. They were playing some version of a game like King of the Mountain. Although this would be king or queen of the chair. Andy sat in the chair with Beanie close by, wrestling with a wayward piece of the wood coming off the back of the chair. Edee was close by, and if swatted would think that Beanie had been the aggressor. Andy reaches over the edge of the chair, takes a swipe at Edee and resumes his innocent position of merely looking out upon the horizon. Edee launches into an occupied Beanie and all out kitten battle begins. So fun to watch and yet Andy, just looks on from his perch on the chair most probably reveling in the fact that he is still the possessor of said elevated position.
The rain is now coming down at a furious pace, so you know...got to have a rain song....so I'll choose Tina Turner singing, "Can't stand the rain against my window...." Also, when I went outside to bring in the Chewy's order...I broke out in a chorus of, "Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain." I did not have a glorious feeling, but could have done a medley by going into, "raindrops keep falling on my head...." Thankfully, I didn't need to bring it down a little into "I've seen fire and I've seen rain..."
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