In a shocking turn of events, we actually got a little rain overnight. And not stormy torrential rain, but a gentle rain that might have had time to soak the ground.

We need much, much more, but I’ll happily take it – especially when it means I don’t have to hand water everything, which takes at least an hour and a half.

Let’s keep it coming, Mother Nature!

I have to do some dialect research today. During the next two weeks, I also have to figure out all of my deductions from last year, which will be complicated because I was in NYC for 6 weeks working. The State of NY doesn’t always understand that we sometimes take deductions because we have to move to the city for some of our work. Case in point: Escape to Margaritaville  and now, Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies. It’s also involves a lot of paperwork and today I’m going to corral all the receipts, clear my desk, and prep for the work ahead.

I’d much rather be working on my puzzle or playing with dolls or taking photos.

Reminder to self: You’re an adult. These things must be done.

We have a very hot week ahead of us. On Thursday, the temperature is supposed to reach 98°. That’s not counting the humidity which will shoot it up into the 100s. August has never been a favorite month of mine. In Michigan, where I grew up, August was always the month where it got very humid. It also signals the beginning of summer’s end. When I was a kid, that meant going back to school. When I was an adult who was a teacher it meant the same thing. Now that I’m an adult who is a gardener, it means the waning of my gardens.

Not a fan.

Okay, my friends. Happy August, nonetheless.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

I did take it easy yesterday, save for the usual laundry. I’ll do that again today because we have major storms headed our way this afternoon. Late in the afternoon yesterday, we had a doozie of a thunderstorm, which seemed to go on forever. Thunder, lightning, crazy winds with torrential rain. The wind direction seemed to change every few minutes, sheets of rain were pummeling us from every direction. The power went out briefly; interestingly, right before the storm.

Today’s forecast has red exclamation points everywhere. I suppose that’s because there is also the danger of a tornado. I’ll freely admit all of this makes me nervous.

Right now, it’s still a bit foggy and fairly quiet out there.

In the afternoon, I spent a few hours watching a giveaway online. The Blythe community is pretty special. One of the members of that community passed away from colon cancer not long after I started collecting my girls. She was far too young. She was apparently a wonderful, supportive, and funny person who everyone adored. One of her friends did an incredible job of organizing a fund raiser for cancer research. Many, many artists donated their creations for a massive giveaway, which was organized into bundles with different themes. The actual drawing was yesterday. I had purchased a couple of tickets, but didn’t win anything. And boy, were the prizes spectacular! But what was most impressive as we all tuned in for the live drawing was the wonderful sense of community. The fundraiser raised over 10,000 pounds – the equivalent of more than $14,000. Bravo!

Deeply into the new Elizabeth George and I suspect I’ll be reading this afternoon, trying to tune out the storms, which, frankly, sound dangerous. Praying that we’re spared, that everyone  is spared.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.