Update on Tabitha

Tabitha does not seem to be thriving.

It's been difficult to bond with her, because since I obtained her it has been raining constantly. So usually I'm indoors, and Tabitha is outdoors, and we don't spend much time together.

Apart from keeping us separated, the rain is having somewhat of an ill effect on Tabitha's health. It is not a gentle rain, oh no. The best way for me to describe it would be the ride of Paul Revere, with Tabitha being the colonists and the rain being Paul Revere. Only instead of Paul Revere repeatedly crying, "The British are coming!" he repeatedly drops from the sky onto the heads of the colonists.

Needless to say, Tabitha has become quite battered.

Every time I step out the door and see the raindrops assault her, I have to convince myself that this is a natural part of nature by chanting, "Rain is good for plants! Rain is good for plants! Rain is good for plants!" over and over inside my head. It's the only way I can prevent myself from snatching Tabitha up and bringing her into my bedroom to stay.

After the fourth or fifth rainfall, I could stand it no longer. I rigged my umbrella to protect Tabitha from the rain:

What happened next is probably my fault.

Our landlord has some overly friendly dogs. They enjoy investigating/destroying everything they can find. Bags of trash, balloons, my feet--you name it, they just can't leave it alone.

So far, Tabitha has managed not to draw the dogs' attention to herself. But, I think, the bright green umbrella drew their attention to her...because the next time I saw her, she was lying upside-down on the concrete.

There's some New Age-y parenting tip going around, which is that if your child falls flat on their face, you shouldn't react except to say, "You're okay! You're okay!" Whether this is a good idea I'm unsure, but one thing is for certain: I would make a terrible New Age-y parent. When I found Tabitha flat on her face, I didn't exclaim, "You're okay! You're okay!" I freaked out.

I squatted in the rain in my pencil skirt ( I had just arrived home from the temple), trying to repot Tabitha while inflicting the least amount of damage.

The next day, I tried to rearrange her mangled and broken branches. But in the end, Tabitha looked like what she was: a defeated pansy plant who had been abused by nature.

A day or two later, the storm clouds gathered once again. I bemoaned the coming rain and the injuries that Tabitha was sure to receive.

PEPPER: Why don't you just bring Tabitha inside?

AWKWARD MORMON GIRL: She gets too wet and dirty to come inside.

PEPPER: So why don't you bring her in now, before it rains?

AWKWARD MORMON GIRL: ...oh.