in a stormy mood

I have been pining for Germany. 

For the rolling hills, the blumen fields, the cherry trees, and the afternoon thunderstorms. 
The other afternoon, the mood was perfect for a good thunderstorm.  The skies were grey and moody, the air was warm and a little damp, and we were all home with nothing to do. 

I sat in Garrett's room and I was sure I heard the pitter patter of rain on the roof.  But it was just the ceiling fan clicking with each rotation.  Now that I know that the fan sounds like rain, I know not to jump up and look out the window expecting to see rain.  Because every time I look, I just see our car in the driveway bespeckled from the sprinkler and the man across the street in his yard with his dogs.  He is literally ALWAYS outside with those dogs.  I wonder how his wife feels about it.  I digress.

I have been looking at our pictures of beautiful Deutshland and it only makes the pining worse. 
What I wouldn't give to hike from Riedlingen to Holzen through the forest and the grape vines. 
Or to walk into Kandern, through the golf course to buy groceries or maybe just ice cream. 
Or to make our way along the winding two lane roads on a drive to nowhere with flowering trees waving at us from either side of the lane. 
Or a salad from funfschilling sitting at a community table with strangers clamoring away in Deutsch all around me. 

Instead, I look at the pictures and dream of a life that doesn't involve Anaheim, endless freeways, strip malls, and a general sense of concrete at every turn.  The rush of Southern California is disenchanting. 
I long for an evening where there are no car alarms, blaring stereos from cars driving entirely too fast on our residential road or rowdy neighbor kids...
just the blissful hum of rain on the windows and the rumble of distant thunder.