Rivers, Gypsies and Chains...

The rain hasn't stopped for two days now.  Not once.  Not for a single minute.  Right now I'm very glad to be hundreds of feet above the valley.  It's swampy down there, with overflowing puddles on the sidewalks, and small ponds growing by the torrential hour in the grassy areas of the parks, in yards and gardens, even parking lots are getting hard to navigate.  The river is reaching flood stage, roaring with white water like Hells Canyon.  I didn't take my camera this morning; holding two leashes, two squirrely dogs and an umbrella doesn't make for great photos.  Maybe tomorrow.

Heading down the mountain, I was pretty much driving in the middle of a newly-formed river.  The water was running fast and deep the whole two+ miles to the bottom.  I wasn't worried--short of a landslide, I trust the Blazer to keep me safe--though it was pretty wild at the two hairpin curves when three rivers converged, not just the one in the middle, but from both sides as well.  Sort of white water rafting in a vehicle on a mountain.

At the park, the dogs wouldn't get out of the blasted car.  I tried to coax them, even made fun of the "wussy boys" but they didn't rise to the bait.  I ended up dragging them both, kicking and screaming, into the downpour.  The walk lasted about ten minutes, maybe.  I don't think either of those boys has ever taken care of business so fast in their lives.

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Once we were all safely back in the car--and what the heck, we were already out, no sense in wasting a trip off the ridge--I stopped into this shop that carries odd food stuffs, like Italian crackers and Austrian cookies and other things that make me feel like I still live in Europe.  Today I got some really cool tea.

Zhena's Gypsy Tea, made by the Royal Gypsy Tea Company.  I loved the tins, and the combination of flavors, though I don't usually like flavored teas, but they are also organic and Fair Trade, which I support.

Gypsy Earl Green (love that word play).  Ginger, Rose, Bergamot and Orange.

Brazilian Berry.  Acai Berry, Mandarin, Peach and Rooibos (Rooibos is an African Red Bush tea, which I love though it's an acquired taste, for sure).

And no, to answer your question, I haven't tasted either one yet.  That will be this afternoon when I sit down to write another installment about Will and Eva.  I need to get those two off that windblown ledge.  Oh, and the funny part about the tea?  It's from California.  So much for wanting my European fix.

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After we got home, I caught one of my bracelets on the cuff of my coat.  It broke, though two minutes with my Leatherman and all was well.  I wear several bracelets--all silver--and have for many years.  I've lost a few here and there, but always manage to replace them with another one, another memory, another tie that binds.  As I was putting the repaired one back on my wrist, I spared a moment to look at each one.  I love the weight of them, and the soft jangle, and the familiarity.

I lost one a couple months ago.  I wasn't sure when it had gone missing.  I looked all over the house, in the car, but had to realize that if I didn't know when I lost it, there was no telling where it could be.  About two weeks ago, I was walking up the road with the boys and saw something glinting in the sun.  I went over to see what it was, and damn if it wasn't that bracelet.  It had been run over numerous times, was scratched and battered and had to almost be peeled off the road, but it was found.  I cleaned it up, fixed the broken clasp and put it back on my wrist where it belonged.  It's the one on the far left.

When Alan and I were in Italy, I lost my oldest and most beloved bracelet, somewhere between Naples and Amalfi.  I was really upset.  I'd been wearing that bracelet for over twenty years; it was the first one I had put on and never took off again.  A few days later, we went down this narrow little alley, and stumbled upon a tiny shop where this old man made jewelry.  I was able to replace the lost one with another, even more special, handmade by a master craftsman.  It's the second one in, on the left.

I have faith the one I lost was found by someone who will treasure it, as I did.

The odd bracelet, not a chain, is that blue one with the dangling silver heart.  That's a love charm, or a love spell, or both really.  It's like those friendship bracelets that were popular several years ago, though in this case, instead of making a wish, I have the heart to remind me that love is possible.  It gives me hope.

So, now I'm going to make some gypsy tea and head out to Nepal.  It's a perfect day to write, with the rain pouring down the windows, the dogs snoozing away in their beds, and no reason whatsoever to leave the house.  Nice...