Shoes of San Francisco: One

A rolling rumble shook the front windows.

"What was that noise?" I whispered like the doomed girl in a horror flick.

"I don't know," Jeremy replied without much thought.

"There is it again!" I say with a jump. It's a guttural sound, like a monster-bomb had imploded over the hill in South San Francisco.

"I think it was thunder," Jeremy replied.

Before I could answer "No way," it hit me like lightning. Duh. Of course it's thunder you East coast poseur.

No, no, I'm still a true East coaster. Don't worry, Pittsburgh. But you know what? I haven't experienced a thunderstorm since summer 2010, almost two years ago. I forgot about those.

As I type the social media outlets are bursting with accounts of the storm. Many of my friends are not natives of California—where thunderstorms seldom strike. In fact, I just read this today:

"In his books, Angelucci says he was particularly terrified of thunderstorms and was attracted to California because he heard thunderstorms were very rare there."

c/o fellow writer Maggie in the Mission

Jeremy and I sometimes tease people here when they freak out during a 70+ degree day. They don't know heat, we'd boast, they don't know what it's like to sweat through a shower. Likewise, I don't know how to deal with nearly 365 days of comfortable jacket weather. 

The kind of rain that happens here is something with which I had to learn to deal. When it rains, it just rains. It's an all day event, unlike places where storms blow in unexpectedly when you're in a tank and sandals. I appreciate a solid day of rain, and so do my plants. They're currently getting drenched on the front steps.

I purchased the above Hunter shin-height boots last December during my first bout of endless Bay Area rain. These are my first "big girl" rainboots, as they cost more than $20 and do not have hot pink stars printed all over them. And, they do not let the water in. With a sturdy pair of real galoshes, I'm much happier in the rain. 

Usually when I write, I close myself up with headphones and my writing playlist. At the moment, I'm enjoying Jeremy practicing parts of "This Charming Man" on his Epiphone guitar and the novelty of thunder.