Really? We NEED the rain?!!

I love eavesdropping on awkward conversations between strangers where neither person knows exactly what to say at the given moment but somehow feels compelled to say something anyway. Case in point: the checkout line at a grocery store.

Inevitably, the conversation in a checkout line is about the weather, at least these days when I feel like calling the SPCA to round up all the strays that keep pouring down. Cats and dogs? It has been raining more like Godzilla and King Kong.

Truly the remark that I love the most is, “Well, we need the rain!” after it has rained for 6 days straight with nothing but good ark-building weather in next week’s forecast too. Need the rain? With my faucets all working just fine before the heavy rains, that’s a tough sell at my house.


Sure, I'm thankful that, true to Scripture, "He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt. 5:45), but I'm just glad that God promised that the world-wide flood idea isn't a do-it-againer (Gen. 9:11)

Ah, well. Let’s look on the “bright side”, shall we (if and when the sun decides to shine)? If it’s true that April showers bring May flowers and Mayflowers bring Pilgrims, we’re in for a mighty good Thanksgiving this year.

Which is why I’m at the grocery store at all.

Trees: Not Made Like They Used To

We came home from our Christmas vacation to this in our front yard. No telling how old this tree was, but it "ain't gettin' any older" as they say. Nope, she's down for the count. The wind gusts up to 80mph the day before we arrived (our original arrival date!) doomed a fair percentage of our wimpy Bay Area tree population.

Guess we'll be calling a professional to handle this one. An axe takes a long time, but the only time you'll see me with a chainsaw is if I'm trying to juggle 3 of them. And axes aren't just for murderers anymore.

On a more cheerful note, the Tahoe ski areas are getting record snowfalls, which we're hoping to take advantage of sometime soon. 10 feet of powder, they say. I can't wait. Maybe I'll grab that chainsaw after all.