The Delight Of Morning Rain

6:30

6:40

It's all quiet on the Chautauqua front, just the sound of raindrops falling on the porch roof. It looks like a rainy day, the first I can remember since Spring. All is gray as I look out our porch, not a boat in sight.  I did get out on the lake by 6:45 but it started to drizzle as I paddled off and only increased as I paddled towards Long Point.  I was determined to stay out despite the rain, in fact, I was loving it until I heard thunder and decided I better head home.  

Kayak Morning

Thursday was a strange day as rain was predicted despite the fact that it was sunny much of the day.  I was the kind of day where I can hardly remember what I did as the days blend together.  I know I kayaked, wrote the blog, then had breakfast and then wondered what I was going to do.  Two things then filled my morning, a long phone call with my good friend Ron, from Oxford, Maine.  After that, another friend from Ohio, Johnnie, called, just to check in so that filled a good part of the morning,.  The other part was spent talking with camera specialists at B & H Photo in New York City because my camera is kaput, no longer working.  It was sent out once to get repaired so I decided it was time to get something else.  Unfortunately, I could not find another camera that was any better than the one I have been using, a Panasonic Lumix so I finally bit the bullet and ordered another one.  I won't get it until Wednesday so there will be no close-ups of wildlife for a few days,

I had the same lunch as the day before, the last of the rotisserie chicken on a sandwich, with tomatoes and mayo and lentil soup.  I watched more of my Japanese detective series but was more than happy to get back to my book set in Malaysia.  Much of the book revolves around the Emperor's gardener, his skill and love of a Japanese garden.  Well, this has got me interested in Japanese gardens so I have reserved a book at the local library and maybe, just maybe, Evie's garden may have a new twist to go along with the stone Buddha.  Of course, I took a great nap, one of those where you wake up wondering if it's morning or afternoon.

Neither of us did much during the afternoon other than a bit of work in the garden, mostly pulling weeds, deadheading, and staking some of the taller Dahlias, hoping they won't break from heavy rain or wind.  Just as we walked in from the garden, heavy clouds moved down the lake and we were able to sit on the porch, with an early gin and tonic and watch it pour, as heavy winds took chairs off of docks, downed trees in some neighborhoods, and took down electrical lines.  

4:32

Fortunately, we were spared any damage and had electricity. I cleared up within a half-hour and we received less than an inch of rain.  We then sat on the porch and Evie had the great idea of popping a bowl of popcorn, We ended up sitting out on the porch, finishing our gin and tonic, and listening to the news until almost 7:00 when we decided it was time to eat. 

4:32

Dinner was heating up the leftover moussaka, just as good if not better than the day before.  We watched a fun Colbert and he interviewed Nancy Pelosi.  She was at the top of her game, an amazing 80-year-old woman.  What a contrast between her reasonableness and calm and the frenetic hysterics of a scary, off tilter Rudy Giuliani at the Trump Festival later in the evening.  Giuliani was enough to make us skip the rest of the Trump Festival and start season five of Rita.  We loved the first three years, the last two just don't measure up alas.