Some days it feels good to walk in the rain. In this regards, this summer has not been wanting. This morning was no exception. I left the house for my morning walk under overcast skies and little threat of rain, in my judgment at least. This meant that the rain jacket had been left hanging by the laundry tub where it was left to dry off following a recent rainy walk. I imagine I could revert back to those several months spent in San Antonio, Texas. The requirement those days was to go about one's day--irrespective of the appearance of the sky--with a poncho rolled up and secured to the back of the belt with a couple of blousing rubbers. (I will have to come up with an alternative to a blousing rubber, because only one has survived several moves over the past 45 years and counting.)

Those rainy mornings when I do leave the house with the rain jacket, it can often mean that it is discarded as an article of clothing sometime during the walk. Without the requisite blousing rubbers or alternatives, I am left to carry it civilian style in one free hand. (I am not inclined to wear it as a backwards apron with the sleeves knotted in front.)

With 6:00AM temperatures approaching 70 degrees, I am inclined to just leave the rain jacket at the house. It just feels good to walk in the rain--not threatening, threatening, or underway. Sooner or later my walk always ends up  at the house, so I can change into dry clothes. It would be much different, if I had to spend the next few hours soaked through while trying to accomplish something meaningful other that the remainder of my morning walk. This morning I was offered a ride by a neighbor returning home from his morning coffee and the loan of an umbrella by another neighbor, who was returning home by car from his morning walk with his dog. The latter offered the companionship of a wet dog as well. I declined all three.

If I have any regrets, it would be not accepting the companionship of Maggie, the Yellow Lab. I was faced with a conundrum. Rosie, the Black Lab, had met me at the corner of 9th and Manypenny as I headed out on my walk. I rejected her offer to join me. She was still in the immediate area when I returned and was met with the offer of Maggie's companionship. Rosie would have known, if I hooked up with a relatively new canine neighbor, and had once more rejected her offer.

I hadn't planned to transition into a discussion of wet dogs when I started this post. Maybe it isn't a transition at all. Dogs do appear to be downright comfortable in the rain. Maybe there is one more thing that I and dogs have in common and with Labs in particular.