Rain, Birthdays, and Other Things

I wonder why I like rain and gloomy weather so much. It affects most people the opposite way, but yesterday when the clouds starting getting plump and gray, my spirits rose. I would prefer a little thunder, just a little rumbling, at night to let me know it's carrying on while I sleep. There was none of that last night, but this morning we got a nice steady spring rain, and you could just see the new plants and trees enjoying it. I forgot to bring in the flat of seedlings last night, and they were near the overhang of the roof. I was so afraid I would go out, and they would be just a mass of mud, but no - here they are after enjoying a misty hour or so.


Not only did they not suffer, I think they grew a bunch during the night and even added a few more. I hate those double ones. I always plant more than one seed in a pot in case one doesn't come up, but then you're supposed to clip off one and leave only one per pot. But I can't stand to sacrifice even one, and how do you choose? I'll have to leave all twins and triplets, at least for a while.

Maddy Cat doesn't usually like damp weather, but she was out bird watching this morning and ignoring me while I took her picture. The doves sit on the chimney and make that mournful sound, and she likes to think she could catch one if she tried. Nothing can show disgust with the human race more than a cat.

She was doing that stuttering noise cats make when they're serious about their prey (at least ours do, but maybe they're weird). Mike and I always called it percolating. For people who are young, it's like the sound coffee used to make in a percolator.

I think I want one of these again. Not only are they prettier than the coffee makers now, the coffee was probably better. I can't vouch for that, but I really liked coffee when we had one. Ours was a wedding gift, and we used it for years. Maybe even had 2. I can't remember the first Mr. Coffee we had, but I guess it replaced the percolator. I may have to see if they're still selling these and get one for rainy days - raindrops, thunder, and perking coffee. Now, that's comforting.

Today is Mike's Dad's birthday. He says he's either 85 or 95; he can't remember which. I think I'd go with 75. He doesn't want his picture posted, so I'll do one of his alter ego, Uncle Fuddy-Duddy. He's written 2 books about this story-telling rabbit based on tales he used to tell Gray, Elise, and Emily when they were small enough to sit in his lap.

 

Below is an excerpt from an email from my cousin Debby. Her husband Tom is leaving for Iraq in April, and I asked her for details about it. They're from Luverne and would appreciate everyone praying for him and the family that will miss him. I think this is for a year.
Tom’s rank with the Army is Command Sargeant Major—he’s the highest you can go in the Nat’l guard. He’ll be leaving Apr 15th to go to Kuwait/Iraq. He is going to be in the unit in charge of “chemical warfare” (scary stuff). They are going on a security mission. None of it is safe and I want you to pray for him and his safety. I hate to see him go.
Totally unrelated to anything above, I can say without panic that I'm back to working on the log cabin quilt. I was so frustrated over the squares not measuring up perfectly that I dreaded even looking at them, but in talking to Sherry Friday about it, I decided to stop messing with that quarter-inch foot and measure exactly where I needed to feed the cloth - and mark it. So I did just that with a bright blue tape and moved my needle over to exactly where it needed to be. So now I'm sewing them assembly-line fashion, and nearly every one in the first batch had the correct measurements and didn't have to be ripped out - only the 10 or so that I sewed wrong side up. They're white on both sides, but it would be my luck to matter in the end. But I'm back to enjoying it again. This is my highly technical solution.
Now before I can go have fun with it again, I have to call my company's tech guys and let them get inside my computer to see what's causing it to freeze sometimes. One asked me just now, "When is the last time you had the cover off." I said, "You mean the case that covers the whole computer? How about never. I don't even know how." He says he will tell me how, and we can check the inside for dust and stuff - like I would tell him if there was dust inside my computer!