And the rains came….

           

Texas needs a replica of Noah’s ark. There is one in Tennessee, at a theme park, and one in Kentucky, where the owner wants to collect insurance for—wait for it!—rain damage. We need one in Texas. Yesterday was sunny and lovely, and Sophie and I were enjoying a pleasant afternoon with the French doors open. A distant bit of thunder? Not to worry. It’s not going to rain.

But suddenly, the rain came—steady and unrelenting for almost two hours. Mostly it was a calm straightforward rain but there was a brief spell of darkness with heavy wind and thunder directly overhead, which set Sophie to barking in dismay. She opted to spend most of the time under my desk, her little body leaning against my ankles. I think the physical contact comforted her.

Jacob and I were home alone—he in the house, and me in the cottage. At one point I saw him at the back door, waving frantically at me. I had no idea what he was trying to tell me, so I picked up my phone and gestured. He bustled away to find his phone and call me because he wanted me to know it was hailing and he was worried about the trees swaying in the wind. I did not see or hear hail, but I read reports of it not far from here, and I’ve since heard tales of much worse storms and flooding in the immediate area as well as trees down near the zoo and Colonial Country Club, so maybe we didn’t get the worst of it—just the longest. In a wonderful irony, his parents were at a pool party. Life has its little jokes.

I spent much of yesterday reading Sugarplum Dead, a Death on Demand Bookstore mystery by Carolyn Hart. Friday, some new projects landed on my desk, but I was already engrossed in Hart’s book—part of one of my favorite series. So I felt I had to finish it and leave that fictional world, before I could turn to worlds of my own making. It’s hard for me to juggle fictional worlds.

Late last night Jacob came out to visit, and we had one of the good talks we haven’t had in a while—about school, fishing, his upcoming birthday, even sex trafficking of children. I know I’m prejudiced, but I think for just a couple weeks shy of thirteen he has a remarkable grasp of the adult world.

It’s been a weekend of taking care of business too. Got my car back from VW (at a hefty cost), got myself a Fort Worth library card (I need it for online research), and did some of the “busy” work involved in preparing a manuscript.

Tonight Christian grilled steak, and I fixed potato salad and baked or “northern” beans. A great summer meal. And so another week begins, this one a busy one for me.