What A Day!

Another rainy morning, but not cold.  Cam had put a different lid on the birdseed barrel to keep the rats out temporarily because the bobcat rescue lady wasn't going to be available for a couple of days, so the little birds that had gathered (no sign of the turkeys) got a good helping of breakfast.  The girls were cranky and less than cooperative in the barn, nothing new on a wet day.

It was a day I'd been looking forward to for some time.  My friend Kit was flying up to visit her aunt, my buddy Tinka, and we were going to meet for lunch.  Because of the weather, we'd changed the plan to go into P'ville and decided to stick closer to home and go down to Plymouth.  The morning news had shown several mudslides in the area, and why take a chance?  The rain had slowed to a drizzle when we met and it was an easy drive to the restaurant.  I could get used to this being a passenger business.  I get to watch the scenery and not the road.  Every stream we passed was a raging torrent and every pond was filled to capacity.  While we were enjoying each other's company and a hearty lunch, the skies opened up and rain thundered down, to the point that the electricity went out briefly.  It was the storm's last hurrah, because it was over by the time we left the restaurant.  That was a good thing because, naturally, the ladies had left their umbrellas in the car.  We got to spend more time together because Tinka's cat had had surgery and was ready to come home, so we went down to Sutter Creek.  I hadn't been there in years; it used to be a favorite spot for antique shopping.  Poor Frank was wearing the cone of shame and he loudly voiced his displeasure all the way back.  That wasn't the only way he let us know how unhappy he was, but we could open the windows for that.  It was a grand Ladies Day outing, full of laughter, chatter, and good food.

In the afternoon I received a call from a beloved cousin.  Our weather had made the news up north and she called to make sure we hadn't washed away.  She is another friend with a big heart and an easy laugh, the best kind.

By sundown, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  It was hard to believe how stormy the day had been.  I'd had a hard time getting a fire going all day.  No rain is predicted today and that's a good thing.  Helper Dude is coming to clean the chimney this morning.  The next storm is due tomorrow, this one coming down from Alaska, possibly bringing snow, and Stove needs to be on his best behavior.  If my luck holds, Beau will come to light the burn pile, too.