Il Pleut! It's Raining!...

     ...The French have word for it, il pleut.  It sounds much like one spitting out chewing gu, but that rather describes some rainy days. Reminiscent of the canals of Venice, the gutters and streets of Barberton are full of water racing to somewhere, but not fast enough to avoid creating small rivers and lakes all over town. At first, the kid in me wants to go outside to splash in all that liquid fun, but the I remember that I don't own any rubber boots. Note to self: must buy some Wellies.  Looking at all that water I realize that I have come into this wet season totally unprepared for the challenge of the slog.  Though I do have a couple of umbellas and a wonderful rain hat that makes me look like Wilson, the neighbor from Home Improvement who always stood behind his fence, I still have no proper slicker or boots.  One would think that as a gardener I would already have all the right gear for slogging around in the wet and the mud, but,alas, I do not.  Now the challenge is to find just the right wet ware, something to be functional and fashionable at the same time. It's a fine line between looking appropriately attired and prepared for the deluge and looking like a total idiot dressed like Winnie the Pooh on a rainy day.  That notion of looking dumb must surely be the reason why so many millenials walk through the rain in wet hoodies with no thought of an umbrella even when it has been raining all day.  Hey guys!  You look even dumber for not carrying an umbrella.  The British have perfected the sophisticated look of using an umbrella and raincoat.  The French make a beautiful and romantic statement with wonderfully colored umbrellas as they celebrate rain. The Japanese create Zen-like art with umbellas in the rain.  Why, then, do most Americans avoid carrying and using umbrellas and other rain accoutrements?  Can we not figure out what statement we want to make with our rain gear or do we just not know how to celebrate the wet?  I, for one, am not afraid to look like Hallmark's grumpy Maxine as I don my gardening wet ware.  Since I wear glasses, I am wondering if I need a swimmer's face mask, too, so that I can still see in the rain as I work in the garden on rainy days.  I do get tired of having to wipe off my glasses in order to see what I am doing.  Maybe a rain hat with a bigger brim would solve that dilemma...I'll get back to you on that decision...
         And so, here in Ohio we approach the Memorial Day weekend with the prediction of much rain for the entire holiday.  If you can't avoid the wet, I say "Gear up and celebrate it!"  And be sure to shoot a selfie in your rain gear.  Celebrate "Il Pleut!"...