🌧️ ♣️ November Rainstorm | A Cozy Rainy Day Indoors | Bedtime Story

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00:00:02,020 --> 00:00:07,550
Welcome to The Slow Life.
I'm Jennifer Vino and I create,

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00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:12,010
narrate and design the
soundscape of this village of

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00:00:12,020 --> 00:00:15,770
cosy stories to relax and
unwind.

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00:00:16,810 --> 00:00:20,180
Each week I share an original
story.

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00:00:20,290 --> 00:00:25,320
Read 2 times so you can relax
even more during the second

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reading.
I'm happy to announce my

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website, theslowlife.ca.
It provides a space where we can

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00:00:36,220 --> 00:00:40,610
connect and I can bring you all
things cozy.

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00:00:43,010 --> 00:00:47,640
Let's settle in with some easy
breathing at your own pace.

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00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:53,800
With each inhale, let fresh air
fill the space around your

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00:00:53,810 --> 00:00:58,800
heart.
With each exhale, feel the calm

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air spread through your body and
flow out through your arms and

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00:01:04,410 --> 00:01:09,020
legs, gently in through your
heart.

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00:01:10,950 --> 00:01:21,500
Gently out through your body, in
through your heart, out through

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your body.
And now let's begin.

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00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:36,720
This story is called November
Rain Storm, and it's about

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00:01:36,730 --> 00:01:42,580
having no plan at all.
A fragile accomplishment and a

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00:01:42,590 --> 00:01:51,030
sweet snack worth waiting for.
The rain starts while I'm still

19
00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:56,670
lying in bed, a low, steady
sound that fills the house.

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00:01:57,990 --> 00:02:03,320
By midmorning, it's a full rain
storm that softens everything

21
00:02:03,330 --> 00:02:07,670
outside the windows and makes
the world feel smaller.

22
00:02:09,229 --> 00:02:13,670
There's not a lot of wind, but
the branches bend from the

23
00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,300
drops, drumming down on the
leaves that remain.

24
00:02:18,730 --> 00:02:23,380
It's a November day, one that's
perfect for staying in.

25
00:02:24,980 --> 00:02:29,930
I get myself up and enjoy my
breakfast tucked in at the

26
00:02:29,940 --> 00:02:34,490
Bistro table, as close to the
windows as I can sit.

27
00:02:36,060 --> 00:02:40,890
The rain smooths across the
glass until it almost seems

28
00:02:40,900 --> 00:02:46,070
clear, the outside looking
closer than it really is.

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00:02:47,410 --> 00:02:50,860
There's certainly no one out
walking in this.

30
00:02:51,350 --> 00:02:56,920
Not even a single car passes
from the first sip to the last

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00:02:56,930 --> 00:03:01,840
drop in my mug.
Knowing for days that this

32
00:03:01,850 --> 00:03:06,720
weather was coming, I've been
excited to stay home and have no

33
00:03:06,730 --> 00:03:11,660
plan at all.
I clear my dishes and walk

34
00:03:11,670 --> 00:03:16,990
slowly through the house, not
because there's anything to do,

35
00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:23,220
but because I want to see it.
On days like this, the familiar

36
00:03:23,230 --> 00:03:25,820
rooms and objects feel
different.

37
00:03:26,930 --> 00:03:32,540
The hallway darker, the framed
photos catching light in a muted

38
00:03:32,550 --> 00:03:37,880
way, the plants by the windows
seeming greener against the

39
00:03:37,890 --> 00:03:42,150
Gray.
Each room feels like a small

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00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:49,220
exhibit in the Museum of my own
life, a place to pause and look,

41
00:03:49,610 --> 00:03:53,070
to quietly notice everything in
its place.

42
00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:59,250
In the kitchen, I opened the
buffet drawer and take out a

43
00:03:59,260 --> 00:04:04,070
deck of cards, the box worn at
the edges from use.

44
00:04:05,540 --> 00:04:10,010
I sit on a big cushion at the
coffee table and shuffle them.

45
00:04:11,050 --> 00:04:15,140
There's the sound of the cards
snapping together, then,

46
00:04:15,150 --> 00:04:20,800
worrying softly in the hush of
the room outside.

47
00:04:20,810 --> 00:04:25,360
The rain keeps at it.
A soft backdrop to play too

48
00:04:26,980 --> 00:04:31,450
ideal myself.
A game of solitaire, 1 by 1.

49
00:04:31,460 --> 00:04:36,150
They're red and black shapes
forming patterns across the

50
00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:41,130
table.
The movements are automatic, and

51
00:04:41,140 --> 00:04:47,170
I find myself watching more than
playing, relaxed by the rhythm

52
00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:52,800
of the motion.
Sometimes I win, sometimes I

53
00:04:52,810 --> 00:04:55,380
don't.
But of course, the game isn't

54
00:04:55,390 --> 00:04:59,420
really about that.
It's about the comfort of the

55
00:04:59,430 --> 00:05:04,780
familiar sequence, the small
satisfactions of chance and

56
00:05:04,790 --> 00:05:11,600
order finding their balance.
I have no idea how much time has

57
00:05:11,610 --> 00:05:17,020
passed, but this time I don't
deal another game but begin to

58
00:05:17,030 --> 00:05:21,160
try my hand at building a House
of Cards instead.

59
00:05:22,610 --> 00:05:27,130
I use the fabric table runner so
the cards will stay in place.

60
00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:35,060
I stand to in a triangle,
another to a base taking shape.

61
00:05:36,380 --> 00:05:40,210
I'm conscious of my breath and
try to keep it flowing.

62
00:05:40,220 --> 00:05:48,410
Each time I balance a new layer
3 levels, then unbelievably 4,

63
00:05:49,180 --> 00:05:55,630
the highest I've ever managed.
I leaned back on my hands, half

64
00:05:55,640 --> 00:06:00,840
laughing at myself, a small
triumph that only I will

65
00:06:00,850 --> 00:06:05,050
witness.
Funny how much a fragile tower

66
00:06:05,060 --> 00:06:07,940
of Kurds can feel like an
accomplishment.

67
00:06:09,340 --> 00:06:13,670
I stand up in hopes that the
tower will stay for a few more

68
00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:17,120
minutes, but the kittens have a
different idea.

69
00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:25,490
Oh well, I put a record on for a
bit, something old and slow, but

70
00:06:25,500 --> 00:06:30,650
after a few songs of swaying
with another hot drink, I lift

71
00:06:30,660 --> 00:06:33,750
the needle.
I'd rather hear the rain.

72
00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:38,550
For now.
I pull out an old colouring book

73
00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:44,050
I'd kept on hand from when my
niece was younger, a few pages

74
00:06:44,060 --> 00:06:48,180
loose from the staples from the
shelf.

75
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:53,570
I take down a cookie tin of
crayons, the lid lifting with a

76
00:06:53,580 --> 00:06:59,380
faint metallic click.
I haven't used them in ages, and

77
00:06:59,390 --> 00:07:04,600
when I opened the box, that
familiar scent of wax and paper

78
00:07:04,610 --> 00:07:11,230
drifts up memories of many rainy
days spent doing just this.

79
00:07:11,890 --> 00:07:15,980
The crayons aren't perfectly
sharp, but the colours are still

80
00:07:15,990 --> 00:07:20,080
vibrant.
Flipping through the book, I

81
00:07:20,090 --> 00:07:25,280
come to a page with a parrot
perched on a looping vine and

82
00:07:25,290 --> 00:07:28,010
begin to fill in the wide
shapes.

83
00:07:28,930 --> 00:07:35,100
The wax glides over the paper in
soft, uneven layers, leaving

84
00:07:35,110 --> 00:07:38,200
faint ridges where the strokes
overlap.

85
00:07:39,740 --> 00:07:43,950
Soon I'm blending colours, as my
niece Said taught me,

86
00:07:44,140 --> 00:07:49,220
experimenting with shading on
the parrot's head and deepening

87
00:07:49,230 --> 00:07:54,860
the green of the leaves.
It's absorbing, the way

88
00:07:54,870 --> 00:07:59,780
colouring can settle the mind,
grounding me more firmly in the

89
00:07:59,790 --> 00:08:05,390
quiet of the day.
Eventually I wander back to the

90
00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,510
kitchen, snooping for a bite to
eat.

91
00:08:09,710 --> 00:08:13,880
Nothing new has appeared in the
cupboards since I last checked,

92
00:08:14,370 --> 00:08:20,080
but a new idea comes to mind and
I decide to make rice crispy

93
00:08:20,090 --> 00:08:24,830
squares.
Butter melting is a beautiful

94
00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:30,890
thing, then marshmallows folding
into it, the mixture turning

95
00:08:30,900 --> 00:08:36,600
glossy and pale.
A simple but satisfying recipe.

96
00:08:37,539 --> 00:08:42,380
The sweet scent starts to drift
through the room as I watched

97
00:08:42,390 --> 00:08:48,050
the last of the marshmallow
disappear into the swirl, then

98
00:08:48,060 --> 00:08:53,090
pour in the cereal, the quiet
crackle of it meeting the warm

99
00:08:53,100 --> 00:08:58,260
mixture.
The spoon grows heavy, the sound

100
00:08:58,270 --> 00:09:02,800
turning sticky as I press it
together until the desired

101
00:09:02,810 --> 00:09:08,300
consistency is reached.
I spread it into the pan,

102
00:09:08,540 --> 00:09:13,950
pressing it flat with the back
of the wooden spoon, the surface

103
00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:19,510
giving off warmth.
It'll take a while to firm up,

104
00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:24,050
but that's OK.
I make myself a sandwich for a

105
00:09:24,060 --> 00:09:27,850
proper lunch before the sweet
snack later on.

106
00:09:29,410 --> 00:09:34,420
The kittens have been restless
all day, chasing each other from

107
00:09:34,430 --> 00:09:37,580
the window to hallway and back
again.

108
00:09:39,050 --> 00:09:43,660
When I crouched behind the
pantry door, they freeze, tails

109
00:09:43,670 --> 00:09:47,410
twitching.
The game starts there.

110
00:09:47,740 --> 00:09:51,460
I slip from room to room, trying
to outsmart them.

111
00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:57,130
They dared after me, skewed on
the floor, leaped sideways at

112
00:09:57,140 --> 00:10:01,290
shadows.
It's our version of hide and

113
00:10:01,300 --> 00:10:05,590
seek and by the end of it they
collapse in a heap on the

114
00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:10,430
Chesterfield, purring like tiny
engines cooling down.

115
00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:17,410
I get myself some hot chocolate
and a rice crispy square and

116
00:10:17,420 --> 00:10:22,960
settle in beside them, not
wondering what to do next, just

117
00:10:22,970 --> 00:10:28,980
sitting and listening.
The colouring book lies open, a

118
00:10:28,990 --> 00:10:33,980
crayon still on the page.
The cards are scattered across

119
00:10:33,990 --> 00:10:40,060
the coffee table, rain taps at
the windows keeping me company

120
00:10:40,330 --> 00:10:44,890
and is forecast to continue on
until tomorrow morning.

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00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:57,460
November Rain storm.
The rain starts while I'm still

122
00:10:57,470 --> 00:11:03,090
lying in bed, a low, steady
sound that fills the house.

123
00:11:04,420 --> 00:11:09,750
By mid morning it's a full rain
storm that softens everything

124
00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:14,100
outside the windows and makes
the world feel smaller.

125
00:11:15,670 --> 00:11:20,100
There's not a lot of wind, but
the branches bend from the

126
00:11:20,110 --> 00:11:23,730
drops, drumming down on the
leaves that remain.

127
00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:29,800
It's a November day, one that's
perfect for staying in.

128
00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:36,350
I get myself up and enjoy my
breakfast tucked in at the

129
00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:40,910
Bistro table, as close to the
windows as I can sit.

130
00:11:42,490 --> 00:11:47,320
The rain smooths across the
glass until it almost seems

131
00:11:47,330 --> 00:11:52,490
clear, the outside looking
closer than it really is.

132
00:11:53,850 --> 00:11:57,300
There's certainly no one out
walking in this.

133
00:11:57,770 --> 00:12:03,340
Not even a single car passes
from the first sip to the last

134
00:12:03,350 --> 00:12:08,270
drop in my mug.
Knowing for days that this

135
00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:13,150
weather was coming, I've been
excited to stay home and have no

136
00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:18,080
plan at all.
I clear my dishes and walk

137
00:12:18,090 --> 00:12:22,720
slowly through the house.
Nah, because there's anything to

138
00:12:22,730 --> 00:12:25,650
do, but because I want to see
it.

139
00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:31,650
On days like this, the familiar
rooms and objects feel

140
00:12:31,660 --> 00:12:36,210
different.
The hallway darker, the framed

141
00:12:36,220 --> 00:12:42,200
photos catching light in a muted
way, the plants by the windows

142
00:12:42,210 --> 00:12:44,790
seeming greener against the
Gray.

143
00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:51,590
Each room feels like a small
exhibit in the Museum of my own

144
00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:58,570
life, a place to pause and look,
to quietly notice everything in

145
00:12:58,580 --> 00:13:03,040
its place.
In the kitchen, I opened the

146
00:13:03,050 --> 00:13:08,800
buffet drawer and take out a
deck of cards, the box worn at

147
00:13:08,810 --> 00:13:14,270
the edges from use.
I sit on a big cushion at the

148
00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:19,260
coffee table and shuffle them.
There's the sound of the cards

149
00:13:19,270 --> 00:13:24,210
snapping together, then,
worrying softly in the hush of

150
00:13:24,220 --> 00:13:28,900
the room outside.
The rain keeps at it.

151
00:13:29,270 --> 00:13:34,590
A soft backdrop to play too
ideal myself.

152
00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:40,030
A game of solitaire, 1 by 1.
They're red and black shapes

153
00:13:40,340 --> 00:13:43,240
forming patterns across the
table.

154
00:13:44,710 --> 00:13:50,420
The movements are automatic, and
I find myself watching more than

155
00:13:50,430 --> 00:13:54,660
playing, relaxed by the rhythm
of the motion.

156
00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:59,760
Sometimes I win, sometimes I
don't.

157
00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,290
But of course, the game isn't
really about that.

158
00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:08,550
It's about the comfort of the
familiar sequence, the small

159
00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:13,460
satisfactions of chance and
order finding their balance.

160
00:14:15,190 --> 00:14:20,540
I have no idea how much time has
passed, but this time I don't

161
00:14:20,550 --> 00:14:26,050
deal another game but begin to
try my hand at building a House

162
00:14:26,060 --> 00:14:31,620
of Cards instead.
I use the fabric table runner so

163
00:14:31,630 --> 00:14:37,910
the cards will stay in place.
I stand to in a triangle,

164
00:14:38,100 --> 00:14:44,840
another 2A base taking shape.
I'm conscious of my breath and

165
00:14:44,850 --> 00:14:49,200
try to keep it flowing.
Each time I balance a new layer

166
00:14:50,490 --> 00:14:57,660
3 levels, then unbelievably 4,
the highest I've ever managed.

167
00:14:59,110 --> 00:15:05,360
I leaned back on my hands, half
laughing at myself, a small

168
00:15:05,370 --> 00:15:07,880
triumph that only I will
witness.

169
00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:13,410
Funny how much a fragile tower
of cards can feel like an

170
00:15:13,420 --> 00:15:17,910
accomplishment.
I stand up in hopes that the

171
00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:22,380
tower will stay for a few more
minutes, but the kittens have a

172
00:15:22,390 --> 00:15:28,470
different idea.
Oh well, I put a record on for a

173
00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:34,410
bit, something old and slow, but
after a few songs of swaying

174
00:15:34,420 --> 00:15:37,970
with another hot drink, I lift
the needle.

175
00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,830
I'd rather hear the rain.
For now.

176
00:15:42,460 --> 00:15:47,170
I pull out an old colouring book
I'd kept on hand from when my

177
00:15:47,180 --> 00:15:53,930
niece was younger, a few pages
loose from the staples from the

178
00:15:53,940 --> 00:15:56,950
shelf.
I take down a cookie tin of

179
00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:01,740
crayons, valid lifting with a
faint metallic click.

180
00:16:02,820 --> 00:16:07,990
I haven't used them in ages, and
when I opened the box, that

181
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:15,080
familiar scent of wax and paper
drifts up memories of many rainy

182
00:16:15,090 --> 00:16:20,100
days spent doing just this.
The crayons aren't perfectly

183
00:16:20,110 --> 00:16:23,080
sharp, but the colours are still
vibrant.

184
00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,750
Flipping through the book, I
come to a page with a parrot

185
00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:33,770
perched on a looping vine and
begin to fill in the wide

186
00:16:33,780 --> 00:16:38,090
shapes.
The wax glides over the paper in

187
00:16:38,100 --> 00:16:43,850
soft, uneven layers, leaving
faint ridges where the strokes

188
00:16:43,860 --> 00:16:48,810
overlap.
Soon I'm blending colours, as my

189
00:16:48,820 --> 00:16:53,130
niece Said taught me,
experimenting with shading on

190
00:16:53,140 --> 00:16:57,550
the parrot's head and deepening
the green of the leaves.

191
00:16:59,270 --> 00:17:03,560
It's absorbing, the way
colouring can settle the mind,

192
00:17:03,890 --> 00:17:07,740
grounding me more firmly in the
quiet of the day.

193
00:17:09,410 --> 00:17:14,599
Eventually I wander back to the
kitchen, snooping for a bite to

194
00:17:14,609 --> 00:17:18,109
eat.
Nothing new has appeared in the

195
00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:24,470
cupboards since I last checked,
but a new idea comes to mind and

196
00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,170
I decide to make rice crispy
squares.

197
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:34,430
Butter melting is a beautiful
thing, then marshmallows folding

198
00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:38,930
into it, the mixture turning
glossy and pale.

199
00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:46,320
A simple but satisfying recipe.
The sweet scent starts to drift

200
00:17:46,330 --> 00:17:50,690
through the room as I watched
the last of the marshmallow

201
00:17:50,700 --> 00:17:57,180
disappear into the swirl, then
pour in the cereal, the quiet

202
00:17:57,190 --> 00:18:00,180
crackle of it meeting the warm
mixture.

203
00:18:01,710 --> 00:18:06,920
The spoon grows heavy, the sound
turning sticky as I press it

204
00:18:06,930 --> 00:18:11,060
together until the desired
consistency is reached.

205
00:18:12,690 --> 00:18:17,140
I spread it into the pan,
pressing it flat with the back

206
00:18:17,150 --> 00:18:21,820
of the wooden spoon, the surface
giving off warmth.

207
00:18:23,290 --> 00:18:27,140
It'll take a while to firm up,
but that's OK.

208
00:18:28,020 --> 00:18:32,750
I make myself a sandwich for a
proper lunch before the sweet

209
00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:37,950
snack later on.
The kittens have been restless

210
00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:43,470
all day, chasing each other from
the window to hallway and back

211
00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,980
again.
When I crouched behind the

212
00:18:46,990 --> 00:18:50,760
pantry door, they freeze, tails
twitching.

213
00:18:51,820 --> 00:18:56,670
The game starts there.
I slip from room to room, trying

214
00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:01,140
to outsmart them.
They dared after me, skewed on

215
00:19:01,150 --> 00:19:04,290
the floor, leaped sideways at
shadows.

216
00:19:05,670 --> 00:19:10,140
It's our version of hide and
seek and by the end of it they

217
00:19:10,150 --> 00:19:14,920
collapse in a heap on the
Chesterfield, purring like tiny

218
00:19:14,930 --> 00:19:21,270
engines cooling down.
I get myself some hot chocolate

219
00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:26,630
and a rice crispy square and
settle in beside them, not

220
00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:31,110
wondering what to do next, just
sitting and listening.

221
00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:37,580
The colouring book lies open, a
crayon still on the page.

222
00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:43,880
The cards are scattered across
the coffee table, rain taps at

223
00:19:43,890 --> 00:19:49,600
the windows, keeping me company
and is forecast to continue on

224
00:19:49,610 --> 00:19:56,160
until tomorrow morning.
I wish you sweet dreams.