Gentle Rain For The Day

6:19

It's 8:25 and I have been up for two hours, listening to the constant rain, listening to a podcast, and on my computer, wondering if I should order the new Mac Air that Apple announced will arrive next month in stores. It's rare that the weather map shows rain all day but that's what it looks like this morning. 

Monday began with a paddle as I am almost back to routine. It felt good to be out there, and I even photographed a heron sitting in a tree. When Evie got up, we did some things in the kitchen, organizing, cleaning, and planning our day. She needed a few things from the store because we were having our neighbors, Pat and David, over for drinks at 5:00 so I drove off to Wegmans, returned a package at UPS, and stopped at Evans to pick up tequila for a special drink Evie wanted to make.  I was home by 12:30 and Evie had a pot of cauliflower soup ready for lunch along with a bagel and cream cheese.  I started a new series by the creators of the classic The Wire, called We Own This City, another police corruption show set in Baltimore based on a book with the same name by a Baltimore Sun Reporter. So far, it's only six episodes. 

Evie mixed up the ingredients for a Red And Black cocktail, and got appetizers ready. After my nap, I helped with cleaning both porches which needed it because of the pollen which covered everything. Like always, it was a surprisingly busy afternoon, getting ready for drinks and making dinner, the leftover pasta but adding sausages and mushrooms. 

Pat and David arrived at 5:00, along with their Westie, Olive.  Evie's favorite because Ollie just loves her, runs to her, and wants to sit on her lap.  We had cheese and crackers, shrimp, and this exotic cocktail that all four of us liked, a combination of strawberries, tequila, lime, black pepper, and sugar rimming each class. We enjoyed catching up with their lives. They have sold their town house in Houston and hoped to find a home in South Carolina but the housing market is so hot that homes are gone in a day. By 7:00 Ollie was on her way home and we were boiling pasta noodles.  We skipped a salad, happy with just the pasta, and watched two more episodes of Borgen. We are getting overwhelmed with the various side stores, the complications, and the ethical compromises that need to be made in politics if one wants to stay in power. We ended the night with Jeopardy and were sad to see Ryan lose after 16  wins. 

King Of The Jungle (by Rami)