Full-on complete double rainbow across the sky

I hate all things "rainbow".

Rainbows are so...1980s. Don't get me wrong; I still kind of reek of the 80s, as those were my coming-of-age years. However, the rainbow ephemera I can do without. I really didn't like them much in the 80s, now that I think about it. Although, I must confess, I did own a plethora of items that sported rainbows.

They were the "in thing" and what 13-year-old 7th-grader doesn't want the latest "in thing", even if it really isn't "their thing"?

I had rainbow socks with a spot for each toe:


rainbow hair ribbons, rainbow shoelaces:

a rainbow pendant necklace, except mine did not say "Laura" or "Kim". That would be a little weird:rainbow earrings, a shirt with an iron-on transfer rainbow on it, rainbow stickers, packages of underwear that came in an assortment of rainbow colors,

a glass candy jar with Snoopy sitting by a rainbow:



a pin-on rainbow button, rainbow stationary that was used to correspond with my pen pals (all of whom I found via the show Big Blue Marble, btw). Of course, those lengthy letters were written with pens that contained ink of the different rainbow colors. You know, I *think* that I might have even had a white ski jacket with a rainbow on it. Maybe not. I'll have to look back at old photo albums.

My very first sewing project in Home Ec was one of those stuffed, puffy white satin clouds with ribbons in the colors of the rainbow hanging down from it:

It was supposed to be a mobile, which I did hang in my room for awhile; but my sister, in a fit of anger, tore it off of my bedroom ceiling, separating the cloud from the fishing-line string. The string was still firmly attached to the ceiling with a - you got it - rainbow colored thumbtack, but the cloud came tumbling down to my bed with a mere plop. I could have easily reattached the pillow to the string, but it wasn't worth it to me at the time. I hated sewing. Besides, I rather liked have a cute little throw pillow with which I could snuggle-up.

Luckily, my rainbow phase did not last long; probably just a few months. My true colors (no pun intended) came out and I slowly started to march to the beat of my own drummer, picking and choosing in which fads I wanted to participate, shunning others that didn't feel right for me.

Nowadays, rainbow-themed items just make my left eye twitch. They make me think of Mork's (from Ork) suspenders (shudder), and Skittles. Is there anything more irksome than Mork's voice? And Skittles...are they the quintessential 1980s candy, or what? In high school I used to eat those happy, colorful balls of hard sugar for lunch. Yes, for lunch. Ugh. Can you say "diabetic coma"?

So, with all that said, I saw the most amazing rainbow the other day. A complete arc of brilliant, shimmery colors, juxtaposed with the heavy, black clouds looming behind. Those kinds of rainbows I do so enjoy.

Then, the day after my rainbow appeared a friend mentioned on Facebook that she was having dreams about rainbows. "What did it all mean?", she asked. Ah, is that not the question we all ponder in hearts throughout our lives, my beauty?

I don't have the answers, but I have a feeling that Paul "Yosemite Bear" Vasquez just might.



Whenever I watch this I laugh until I can't breathe. Yet, at the same time, a part of me feels awful for finding amusement in this man's very personal, spiritual experience. I SO get his experience. However, I clearly do not feel that awful about it because every now and then I go back for more and laugh just as hard.

If you get a chance, check out some of the Double Rainbow videos on You Tube that people have made using Auto Tune, or other programs of their ilk. Of course, they are all making fun of Yosemite Bear and are absolutely hilarious. As well, watch some clips of interviews with Yosemite Bear done by Jimmy Kimmel, et al. What a good-natured, gentle, guy who takes it all in stride.

I doubt he would ever be caught anywhere near those wretched rainbows that I detest; he's too cool for that.

Paul "Yosemite Bear" Vasquez, you are my latest hero and you rock the real rainbows, dude.