I awoke this morning at quarter to five to the sound of thunder.  The breeze was blowing in our open window and the air smelled like Heaven.  It began to rain and it was wonderful.  Before I could fall back asleep the rain came down stronger and the wind kicked up just enough to send some of it in the window.  I had to lower the sash most of the way even though I didn't want to.  Lying there in the cool rain felt great but waking up later in a soggy bed would suck.   So the windows came down.  I left them open a crack so we still got the breeze which smelled of summer.

"Does it get any better than this?" Jay asked.

"ZZzzzzzz" I replied.

When I woke up for real a couple of hours later, he was gone.  And he hadn't made any fresh coffee.  I felt like a character on Sex and the City; let down by a man once again. 

I sat out on the porch waiting for the pot to brew and I did the cross words from the paper I stole from my sister's house.  I didn't really steal it; no one there does the puzzles.  And I asked, so shut up.  It was still gray and wet outside but after two cups of hot goody goodness I hauled myself upstairs to do a copy of an old painting for the show we're mounting in two weeks.  Joanne, the owner, came into possession of a dozen old gold leaf frames of different sizes so my job, should I choose to accept it, is to fill them.  So far, I've copied a Homer, a Wyeth (N.C., not Andrew) some nameless old master and I've got a Renoir and a Monet on my list.

On the radio today, the news was full of hopeful statements out of Washington that we've turned a corner on this recession.  Does it look like that to you?  Are all your friends who were laid off back at work? Cus' mine aren't.  Unemployment is still hovering right under 10%, the housing market is still in the dumps and people are still afraid to spend money.  Do the powers that be think they can win this thing by simply declaring it over?  It's worth a try, I guess.  They trash talked the economy for eight years and that's not what caused the recession so I don't know why they think the opposite will work but hey, nothing else is, so go for it.

I've been designing needlepoint since I was 14 and here's what I've learned; it's not exactly a recession proof field.  There have been a few times in the last eighteen months when I've been asked not to cash my check immediately but to hang on a day or two till they can sell a few things and get some money in the bank.  That's never happened before.  Not to me, anyway.  Not in the early nineties and not in the eighties.  But here's the thing; back during the last two recessions, my checks were paltry.  I had a house full of little kids and didn't work much, so covering my paycheck was no big thing.  It's not a huge thing now.  I only work part time, after all.  Too lazy.  Too many books to read.  Still have kids.  They don't need as much as they did in the old days but they're a lot more fun to hang out with now, so there's still the time thing...I went to the pool yesterday instead of working because Josie said "I want you to come!"

Talk about making me an offer I couldn't refuse!

I met with a customer at 11:30. went over designs for  a half dozen more frames, went to the bank, Target and Sam's Club and by the time I was done running errands, the clouds had migrated East, the sky was a perfect blue and the world looked like a crystal that had just been cleaned.

We've had a few rain storms the last few weeks so although we're still in drought conditions, the lakes don't look as parched as they did a month ago and the creek actually has some water in it now.  I haven't been to the falls this summer.  I've been afraid to see the dry cliff that must be where the mighty Minnehaha Falls is supposed to be but it should be back by now, even if it's anemic.  Maybe I'll ride my bike down there later this week.

While Josie was at volleyball practice I rode around the chain of lakes.  There was a light breeze; just enough to keep you cool without making you work too hard.  Today Minneapolis was about as beautiful as a city can be.  The air was so clear and clean that you could count the leaves on the trees across the lake.  The Bike paths weren't too full; it was a Tuesday afternoon, after all.  There were sailboats on Calhoun and Harriet and kayakers and canoers on Isles.  The houses all looked clean and fresh and the lawns are all nice and green thanks to the rain.

I got home just in time to eat a plum before I had to pick Josie up from practice.  She and I played cribbage then Meg picked her up and a group of them have gone to see G.I. Joe.  Apparently "G.I" doesn't mean "government issue" or "general infantry" any more.  In fact, the Joe's aren't even American.  Maybe it's about a group of doctors who pull really nasty stuff out of...never mind.  And they solve crimes and stuff.

Now the sun is setting over the park and it's gorgeous.

I can hear football practice across the street.

Jay just got home.  Time to open some wine.

It really doesn't get any better than this.

 

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