Harriett ‘Fjaagesund

ay eae ‘are ‘some’ days when things just, won't come out ight, no
matter how determined you are, It was. the last day of the Easter ‘long

_ : . ‘weekend, and we had planned an evening wienér roast in our back yard with a couple of: friends,
.: The weather looked promising, the last rainshower having passed over some e time ago. The ‘sky waa

-. still an ominous grey, but appearances can often be deceptive. ;
_ busied myself with unpacking the pienic cooler while hubby started a roaring campfiré in the
firepit. A small breeze carried the rich, earthy scents of spring and canipfire smoke to my nostrils..
~ Our old sheepdog gambolled playfully with’ two of the cats, and the forest behind us was alive with
. colourful bird. calls. It was a very. homey. ‘scene, something ee out of a Norman’ Rockwell.
‘painting,
| ‘Ten minutes later, stretched out contentedly i in awn chairs, we were re discussing our ‘proposed
"5 trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands this summer when we felt the first rain drops. We politely’
“ignored them. Hubby threw another log on the fire. I very casually reached ¢ over and covered the
hotdog. buns. Sometimes if you ignore rain it will go off and bother : someone ‘else. a
“We'd worked our way up to a companionable argument concerning the merits. of ferry trayel
versus air travel when the skies really opened up. This did not bade well. My: steaming mug of
freeze dried, naturally decaffeinated coffee quickly lost its pleasant appeal, an occurrence which
“the ad. on the coffee jar assured me would never happen. The phrase "naturally brewed with 100%
acid rain" popped into my mind. The plastic wrap blew off the buns; a quick peek assured me that

fe 1 yes, at least two buns could now safety, be classified as soggy. The dog and cats sprinted for. the
"back porch... "|

..... Squinting against the downpour, I looked up and pointed out the offending cloud, adding that
it would probably pass over us quite soon... I: was almost sure of this; We gritted our ‘teeth,

ce determined to wait it out. Pulling our damp jackets tighter, we amused ourselves by pretending ~

. we were strolling along a wind-swept: beach on the Charlottes, collecting pretty sea shells ‘and

‘ -oddly-shaped driftwood, and that the. rain was a brisk salt spray coming in off the storm tossed
- ocean,

-: When that didn’t seem to 9 work we » began recounting heroic: tales of our Viking and Gaelic -

a ancestors. A little rain never bothered them, we heartily reassured each other. This discussion took
a morbid turn when we suddenly remembered all the afflictions our poor ancestors suffered, like

cas ae » pneumonia. We quickly changed thé subject.

I kicked a couple more logs into the fire, which actually seemed to be enjoying the rainstorm,

fe The flames crackled and popped merrily, burning a bright and cheery yellow. We were thoroughly

- soaked; our raincloud had finally. moved away but another goon followed, something I-obviously

OR — ee hadn't counted on. |

- By now. we were hunched up againat the fire as close as sanity and personal: safety allowed,

Sorte and steam was rising off us in huge billowing clouds. I wondered if the neighbours were frantically
fe thet io, dialling the police, demanding that somebody come: out and do something about the crazy people
Cope next door.

Finally admitting defeat, we packed everything back indoors. We had to » douse the campfire

7 . with a bucket of water, which struck me as being totally ludicrous. Then our friends phoned to

cancel, mumbling something a about the rain, Gee, no > Kidding, I thought, watching Lake Erie e puddle
around my feet. — i cae

Terrace Review — May 1, 1992