Tuesday, April 24, 2012

U is for Umbrella


      How many people always have an umbrella on hand in case of a torrential downpour?   If you are off to the store and it looks like rain, do you grab your umbrella?  I never do.  Half the time I don’t even know where I could find an umbrella if I did need one.  When I was growing up my parents always kept an umbrella in the car.  When not in the car, umbrellas could be found in the hall closet.  If we were planning to go to an outdoor event and there was a chance of rain, my mom always brought along the umbrellas.  She was one of those people that had it planned in all matters of weather.


       I am the type of person that tends to wing it.  If it is raining, I will make a mad dash and come out the other side giggling and looking like a drenched rat.  On the off chance that I have had the foresight to grab an umbrella, I have noticed that they didn’t do me a whole lot of good.  Maybe it is just me, but when I use an umbrella I end up just as wet as I would have without.  I get hit with the side ways rain or the wind blows my umbrella inside out rendering it worthless.  I spend more time trying to get the stupid thing up and then down and keep from being blown to Timbuktu than I actually do keeping dry.  


       Unlike my mom, I am completely retarded when it comes to umbrellas and find them more pain in the a$$ than they are worth.  When it comes to my children, the rules change.  I made sure Santa Claus stuffed a nice red umbrella in my daughter’s Christmas sock because she has to walk to her bus stop, stand in an area that offers no shelter, and walk home.  In those circumstances, I would welcome an umbrella too.  I have no problem getting drenched, but have a big problem with my kids getting wet.




       Have you ever noticed it can be literally pi$$ing down when you arrive at a shopping mall or store, but you never see anyone getting out their trusty umbrella to make their way inside?  Most people will put a brave face on it and just make a mad dash for the door.  Still others will put their head down and just plod on through the rain at a slightly quicker pace.  The rest of the population will stay put and wait out the downpour.  You never see a colorful sea of umbrellas making their way to shelter.  People tend to either wait out the storm or make a mad dash.  I think it is because they simply don’t want to be bothered with carrying the stupid thing once they get wherever they are going or they don‘t have an umbrella in the first place.  9 times out of 10 if it is raining, I won’t have an umbrella until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.




42 comments:

  1. Great read Kathy. I am like you, I never use an umbrella. Guess I like playing in the rain too much. LOL

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    1. Mary, playing in the rain is so much fun!!! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!! ♥

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  2. That first umbrella is so pretty!!

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    1. Damyanti, I thought so too! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!! ♥

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  3. i have one of those awesome bubble umbrellas :) i loves it to death & beg for rain just so i can play wif it :D

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    1. Jenny, those are so much fun!! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments! ♥

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  4. I never use an umbrella, mainly because I have to use a walking cane so I want to keep at least one hand free. Plus with a cane AND umbrella, I would feel like Charlie Chaplin!

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    1. Paula, that would be a little tough to balance everything! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments! ♥

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  5. Being an aquarius (the water bearer) rain follows me everywhere. So does my trusty umbrella. We just expect it to rain when we go on vacation, plan an outdoor event etc. We are rarely let down! :)

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    1. Amy, I have this vision of you running around with a little black rain cloud over your head. LOL Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!! ♥

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  6. After living in Washington State for 12 years, it was known among the locals that using an umbrella was a sign of weakness. lol I just wear my gortex raincoat w/ the hood. Fighting w/ wind and an umbrella just isn't worth it. Plus, being as short as I am, I constantly hit people with mine b/c it's down so low.

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    1. JoJo, that is funny! I would be perceived as having balls of steel then. LOLOLOL I agree fighting the wind with an umbrella is just plain pointless unless you want to fly away like a modern day Mary Poppins. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments. ♥

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  7. Great post, Kathy! The thing is with an umbrella, you have to drag it around with you. I do have a solution for you that works for me. They now make these snazzy little umbrellas that come with a little cover. It's less than a foot long and you can throw it in your purse. I keep mine in my car or else I would be way too lazy to go hunting for it during a down pour. Those are all the umbrella tips I have for today! lol

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    1. Beachlover, I bought one of those itty bitty ones for my daughter. It fits right into her backpack. I would have to get a lot bigger purse to carry one around. Thank you for stopping by to read, and for all your umbrella tips!! ♥

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  8. Here in Central California we have little use for umbrellas, what with 6 inches of rain a year. *Sigh* I wish we had more!!

    Thanks for visiting my blog today!

    "You lay, lurking"... I love that line. It makes me wonder what is lurking over my shoulder when I go to sleep.... I'll be thinking it tonight for certain.

    Thanks for visiting my A to Z blog. I appreciate it more than you know!

    Julie Jordan Scott
    Fellow A to Z Challenge Writer
    twitter: @juliejordanscot
    U is for Ursula
    On a Mission to Spread Word-Love Throughout the World

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    1. Julie, I can't imagine having so little rain!! It must be really dry there!! You must live in the center of the desert. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments.

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  9. I'm much like you in not usually having an umbrella on hand and I'm one who doesn't like carrying around once I'm inside. Besides I'm in Los Angeles where we don't get much rain anyway.


    Lee
    Weird, weird, weird…
    A Faraway View
    An A to Z Co-host blog

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    1. Arlee, that is the thing!! What to do with the blasted thing once you get inside. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments. ♥

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  10. I lived in Portland OR for 5 years and got used to carrying an umbrella. I still carry a fold up one in my book bag I bring to work every day.

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    1. Donna, sounds like you are one prepared lady! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!! ♥

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  11. I actually love having an umbrella or twelve! I have ones that are compact enough to carry in a bag, big ones for the car that could easily cover 4 people, smaller ones for the city sidewalks. I have them by my front and back doors in my house and I carry them in my car. I suppose it's just the way I was raised and we've always lived where it's rained a lot. My favorite umbrella was the one I had when I was 5. It was called a bubble umbrella and I could sit on the grass and it would totally cover me and as long as it wasn't lightning I could stay out under the rain all day! :D

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    1. Magical Mystical Mimi, what an awesome memory of the little you under an umbrella!! I love it! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your wonderful comments! ♥

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  12. I use an umbrella only when I'm dressed up and it happens to be raining, which equates to almost never. :OD

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    1. Word Nerd, that is funny!! I don't dress up very much either, but if I went to all the trouble I am sure I would have an umbrella on hand so I wouldn't ruin the effect. :D Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!! ♥

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  13. I don't carry them because I know I'll forget it somewhere, I guess that's pretty dumb. Love the post.

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    1. Pbquig, not dumb at all! Actually it is pretty smart in my opinion. Better than losing your umbrella! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!! ♥

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  14. I keep one in both cars, but I hardly ever think to grab one.

    New follower here. I’m enjoying reading my fellow “A to Z”ers. I look forward to visiting again.

    Sylvia
    http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/

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    1. Sylvia, you have it better planned than I do than!! Thank you for stopping by, reading, the kind comments and the follow!! ♥♥

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  15. I carry a little fold up one in my car and usually it starts raining while I'm in the store and the umbrella is in the car.
    Oh well...♥

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    1. Jo, that sounds typical. Oh well is right! Just another good excuse to run in the rain!! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!! ♥

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  16. I have one in my car, and one in the garden shed. Why the garden shed you ask? Because unlike me, my camera cannot get wet... and I love to take pics in the rain ;-)

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    1. November Rain, that is kind of different that you keep one in the garden shed but made sense once you explained about the camera!! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!!

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  17. Sometimes I like to use umbrellas, but all the nice, tasteful black and navy umbrellas I had were "borrowed" and lost or broken by my offspring (after he'd lost or broken his).

    Finally I got a hot pink umbrella. Oddly enough, years later, I still have it.

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    1. The Writing Goddess, very cool you have a hot pink one! I would hold onto that one too~! Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!♥

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  18. umbrellas are life-saver, thoough sometimes its kinda tiring to bring it along, but when my umbrella is soo fabulous, im proud to flaunt it

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    1. Blair, I am not even sure I own an umbrella. My kids do, but I am not sure I do. The ones I had were all broken so I threw them out. My son had a penguin umbrella, and my daughter has a red one she carries in her backpack. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!!

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  19. Haha! On the rare occasion I do actually remember my umbrella it's always the rubbish one that turns inside out or breaks! x

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    1. Stealing Mummy's Mascara, that sounds like my umbrella!! LOL Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!!

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  20. I NEVER remember my brolly! And as Stealing mummy's mascara said, if I do it's a broken one! x

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    1. Scarlett, I belong to the same club as you and stealing mummy's mascara!! LOLOL Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments!♥

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  21. Lots of fun today reading this post and -- all the comments. I'm one who always has an umbrella close by, even a little fold-up one is in my handbag. But, there are times like storms and windy days that make it useless. But, I hate having the rain speckles on my eyeglasses. Thanks again, Kathy, for sharing.

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    1. Betty, you would think as much as I hate rain drops on my glasses I would get it more planned with an umbrella! LOL Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments. I am so pleased you enjoyed my post!!

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