Dimming of the Day & the Evacu-dogs

Dimming Of The Day
lyrics by: Richard Thompson

This old house is falling down around my ears
I'm drowning in a river of my tears
When all my will is gone you hold me sway
I need you at the dimming of the day

You pull me like the moon pulls on the tide
You know just where I keep my better side

What days have come to keep us far apart
A broken promise or a broken heart
Now all the bonnie birds have wheeled away
I need you at the dimming of the day

Come the night you're only what I want
Come the night you could be my confident

I see you on the street in company
Why don't you come and ease your mind with me
I'm living for the night we steal away
I need you at the dimming of the day
I need you at the dimming of the day

This song has been recorded by several great artists... the version I'm currently favoring is by the Neville Brothers. I guess that's rather poignant considering the fact that the Neville's are from New Orleans; and, that town is once again under water today thanks to Hurricane Rita on it's way to my beloved Texas coast.

She (Ragin' Rita) is taking a leisurely stroll through the Gulf of Mexico and is promising buckets upon buckets of rain for our drought parched earth here in Arkansas. BIL who is re-constructing in Biloxi MS has called in and said that they're seeing feeder bands. This storm is so wide that it is affecting both MS and Galveston at the same time. Crazy. Unheard of. And, we're all sitting here in the a/c watching the awful gridlock of the largest evacuation movement in the history of Texas on the tv. Well- actually I'm not currently watching-- I'm listening to some really great music on iTunes... this is quite coincidental; but, "Flood" by Jars of Clay just queued up- wow. Isn't that prophetic or what? When, I'm not juking, cutting stamps (yeah TAC.. got my order here for the looooong w/e) and flipping channels for hurricane coverage.. I'm going and visiting with all the doggies next door.

Oh! Funny thing! Our boss-dog, Wrigley, met all the evacu-dogs earlier today. It was rather comical as the first yellow Labrador, Josie Bell, headed out the door to greet him... she favors Sandy (next door dog) in color- but, Wrigs realized quickly that wasn't his friend! Then... it's Whiskey's turn to meet Wrigs. Whiskey is Stephen's number one duck dog, she's a black lab and smaller than Josie and even Shady Lady, the lab that we lost last Spring. So- Dad suggested that Wrigs must be thinking he's seeing a ghost or something!! Well- Wrigs had upon meeting Josie felt the need to mark a few blades of grass just to establish himself. By the time Whiskey has entered the scene, Wrigley is just sort of looking bewildered and not quite so intent on doing anything but the occasional sniff. THEN... out comes big Mr. Feisty! Whiskey's son, a large black lab, #2 in working order-- Wrigley's countenance just sort of registered a disbelief and after the briefest of a sniff he put himself on a down-stay and sat resignedly at my feet. Didn't even try to mark another blade of grass or greet those dogs. I almost felt sorry for him.. "his" Richard had been gone, returned and he'd been replaced! Dad did give him a treat-- but, you could tell he really REALLY wasn't all that interested. I brought him back home and he's just parked himself on his bed and doesn't even bother to snuffle my hands every time I return from visiting over there!

Well- that's what it's like preparing for Rita in ARkansas, 360 miles inland but expecting a deluge. I mean-- how do you prepare for that?? Uhh... go to Wal-Mart and get more chocolate I guess. Oh- and dog treats! :-)

God help us. Just hope we all weather this one.