Sunday, July 29, 2007

Mosquitos and Earthquakes

I dreamed I had dozed off in my car on a long two lane bridge across a mud-colored river somewhere in the woods of Arkansas.   I think I had been out there to watch fireworks.  I woke in the dream to a slight swaying motion and realized there had been an earthquake.   I drove to the other end of the bridge to find some of it had crumbled away.  Nothing below but swirling, brown currents.  Then the bridge started to crumble away.. I slammed into reverse and tried to get back to the other end before the whole bridge crumbled beneath me.  The collapsing bridge was faster than I was, and the asphalt was falling out from underneath my wheels, and I knew I wouldn't make it.   My car finally fell into the water and I (somehow) jumped out, hoping I wasn't too far from the shore to swim.  I did make it, but as I crawled onto the shore, I remember thinking that this was too improbable (and unfortunate) to be real, so it must be a dream and ordered myself to wake up.  That always works.. but not this time, so I worked hard on adjusting to the idea that this really must have happened.  Then, a while later after some other strange events happened, I woke up.. relieved to find my car hadn't plunged into a brown river.

I hate muddy rivers in my dreams... always overgrown, weedy shores, overcast skies, a humid feel, mud banks and deadfalls.. never pleasant.  No idea where that imagery comes from, but it never bodes well.

I went out earlier toda to spray this deadly stuff on the poison ivy that's spreading out back.  The mosquitoes swarmed me and chased me back inside.  I had to restrain myself from scratching.  You're not supposed to scratch, they say, but it's oh so satisfying.

To cap off my exciting Saturday evening, I scrubbed the bathroom and nearly gassed myself with caustic cleaner fumes.

I think a day like that deserves a little vodka at the close.