Old joke. There's been a drought in post-Soviet Siberia. The locals are concerned about the crops. Except for one old soldier — Rudolph– who insists that things will be put right and all will be well. He has, he asserts, never been wrong in thirty years. A week goes by and he swears that it will rain by the 1st of May. Much wringing of hands and accusations of drunken optimism ensue. But, on May 1, the skies open. How, the local widow wonders, does a washed up old Soviet like Rudolph know so much about the weather?
Cryptically, he smiles, taps the side of his nose and says “Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear.”
A little light humor for a dreary day. Also, a little light flannel masquerading as tweed. The trousers are Polo and have side tabs. The shoes are old Ferragamos with the rubber sole that works so well in rain. The turtleneck/roll neck sweater is cotton and from Brooks Brothers, perfect for a day that is supposed to be stuck in the upper 40's (F). Not quite Siberian weather, but cold and wet nonetheless.
Off to the optometrist to see if my 6 year old son needs glasses as he claims.
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Chris, you have just described November through March here in the Pacific NW. Rain, rain and more rain. The positive side is that there are more opportunities to wear flannel, tweed and sweaters. Hurray for that. Now if we can just get lucky enough to have it snow, I will be able to wear my one heavy winter suit.
Totally cool; you are!
My daughter when she was 8 said she needed glasses. I said..”oh don’t be silly! No you don’t!
the next year the teacher said; “you might want to send Ella to have her eyes tested. She says she can’t see the blackboard!”
Feeling totally comfortable about her “not needing glasses”; we go to the appointment.
The optometrist (our friend and neighbor) invites me into the office. “Why didn’t you believe Ella when she said she couldn’t see the blackboard”?
I forget what the heck I said. Something lame like (I don’t reward sickness) or..
“I thought she could”
So here comes the “guillotine’
She said; Ella is “legally blind” and she needs glasses today. I am making sure she gets them today! SHE COULD NOT SEE THE BLACKBOARD.
One of the serious bad days of my entire life!
ps good news; she graduated from that great school after 14 years (preK to 12th) went to USC and graduated “Phi Beta Kappa”! Good grief! The honors!
Good thing I finally got those glasses!!
Poor girl!!
EEEEK!
ps she is now 43!!! My how time flies! Enjoy every moment!
wonderul joke; by the way!
Penelope, the same thing happened to me, except I was the little one in need, and it was a problem with my hearing, not my eyesight. My parents kept punishing me for not listening to them; only they did not know at the time that I had slowing been going deaf.
They finally figured it out when I became almost completely deaf. After many visits to the hospital and having endured operations on my ears, I regained my hearing and have also gone on to have a somewhat respectable carrier. Hurray!!! At the time (I was 5 years old) I thought my parents were so mean. Now 52 years later, I realize what pain my mother must have endured when she finally understood it was not my fault for failing to respond to her commands. I also realize just how bad she must have felt to have one of her children experience so much sickness. I think parents feel worse than their kids when their kids get sick, so I know how you must have felt when your daughter actually did need glasses.