So the rains let up and I ride the motorcycle to work, smiling, almost laughing with the tickling of the guy only I know that lies deep inside me. I stop and drop off my prescription for a refill, will pick it up on my return. I wonder why I missed all those good looking young women at the pharmacy, then realize that I didn't take pills for any ills when I was much younger and looking. I stretch out and stride down the walk to the dock. One of the men in the parking lot asks what the weather was going to be like today, I say I heard scattered thunder showers, and wonder why he cares, he drove his car to work.

I have two library clerks to work with, so I do what I should have, I fire the non-working soon to depart ones. Or I mention that I want to and hire two more, I get a reply that I am not doing it correctly, and am referenced to the policies that apply, and the two counselors that need to be part of the process are notified. After lunch one of the soon to be fired clerks shows up and I tell him to notify his counselor that he needs terminated in this job, so he can concentrate on school and preparing for his release. He says he wondered how long it was going to be before I would fire him to hire a replacement. He worked fine on his own when he was at work, but teamwork is one of those things that doesn't come easy for some people. I wonder if I should look deeper into that here in the prison, maybe you must trust more for teamwork to happen, and not too many people trust anyone inside the fence. I know that in the military I had to gain trust to get the most from people around me, and I had to trust them or it wouldn't work. We got a lot done, I re-learned something I had forgotten, since I didn't do it hands on it fled until I was pointed in the proper direction. The amount of things I don't know continues to grow with every new discovery... of long forgotten wisdom.

Turn it all off, lock it all up, depart and drop off the overdues on the way out, no fines just give the material back or renew it. The day is grayer, matching my work trousers, motorcycle jacket, if I weren't wearing a blue ballcap I would look like a Confederate cavalryman... well, most of my life is just pretend. I find a corner and nap hard on the ferry, waking up to the drumming of raindrops upon the roof of the boat. Big juicy drops, plunk, plunk and plunk. I ride the bus to the parking lot, the rains are scattered and light, but there are piles of billowing dark clouds rolling in from the West with arcing electricity to cause a spike in one's expectations.

So, I wipe the water off the seat, start the motorcycle and ride gallantly onward. Still stuck in that Confederate Cavalryman foolishness, I find some of the dampened road a bit slippery for my feet when stopped, but nothing that has caused the Trusty Triumph to swish out of my control. I find totally dry roads in places, only the drippings from the vehicles ahead providing proof that it is raining somewhere. I stop at the drug store again, to pick up my medicine, and notice that the young women are not the same ones from the morning, but still looking just fine - and they have jobs. Outside the deluge has begun, the rolling thunder just highlights that my time has come, drowned rat mode has replaced gallant rider... well, my skin is mostly waterproof. I get on the bike and start it up and wheel on down the road, soaking ever soaking, you know the full face helmet means the only dry part of Earl is under it. My gloves are soaked, the sleeves of my shirt soaked, the shirt is clinging to the body, molding it self, and the rain is COLD, yes that shrivel the nipples up and produce goose bumps on the arms in the chill. And, I laugh at how neat it is that I am on the way home to hot meal, hot shower and dry clothes. I remember when there was no escape from being soaked and cold and when no one loved me...

Home, safe and warm, and saying many thanks for survival at optimum operational levels. G'night! and God bless.