Rainy days and Mondays

By Elle
I felt guilty for wishing for a rainy day recently, in light of the deadly storms in the U.S., all because I was itching to try out my new rain boots. So on a recent Friday, I woke up to dark skies and rain, and jumped at the opportunity to slip into my boots. After the rainy morning turned into a warm, sunny day, I took the afternoon off and met my daughter and two of my granddaughters at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where they both quickly earned animal-inspired nicknames.

My chatty 4-year-old granddaughter, Isabelle (aka Rosiebelle and Rosie), is now called Howler Monkey, and 3-year-old Laila, who communicates more with her big eyes than her mouth, answers to Bushbaby.

Because the weather forecast showed rain all day, I figured we would spend the afternoon strolling about in a museum or some other indoor venue with soft carpeting. I hadn’t expected to spend the day outside in rubber boots, let alone push Howler Monkey and Bushbaby in the stroller up the zoo’s steep hills — and run down those same hills with the stroller, pretending I was going to send Howler Monkey and Bushbaby sailing into the African Elephant Crossing. #MyMistake.

By the end of the day, my dogs were howling and all I could think about was a hot foot bath. Still, I dig my new rain boots and am looking forward to the next rainy day!