An Amazing Day

This has been an amazing day of multiple rain showers.  In three different rounds of rain, we've had 1 1/2 inches, and we're currently in round four.  I don't know how often I said "Thank you, God" today.  The hay field my kitchen window looks out on still hasn't turned green, but there's hope now that it will.  Earlier today, after the first shower, I could actually push the stake for the rain gauge far enough into the ground to secure it and keep it from tipping over.  Until then, the ground was so hard that only 1/2 inch or so of the tip penetrated it.

Somehow most of the rain the past few weeks has bypassed us, so we're especially happy to have our turn now.

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I'm getting an education on some diverse matters--pelican migration and mitral valve prolapse, to be precise.

My nephew Joseph told me on Sunday that there's a brown pelican at Quivira--a rare occurrence, although white pelicans are quite common.  The brown ones are markedly smaller than the white ones.  The whites have a wingspread of about nine feet, as I recall.  Joseph got to see the brown pelican.

"Why are they at Quivira if it's not migration time?" I wondered.

Joseph informed me that this is fall migration time for pelicans, shorebirds, "and such."  I guess no one told them that we're officially only one month into summer, and it's way too early to think about fall.

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Last summer, an ultrasound technician told me that I have a minor mitral valve prolapse.  This means that one heart valve doesn't quite work as it should.  A cardiologist later pronounced it sub-clinical and needing no treatment.  One of my nieces recently had a similar diagnosis, which came with a warning I never got.  It has to do with caffeine intake.

People with this condition apparently are very sensitive to caffeine, and should avoid it because of the stimulation it gives to the heart--making it race and flutter.  Bummer.  I really do like my morning cup of coffee on cold school days.  I think I'll take notice of what happens to me when I do drink coffee.  Maybe I'm one of the lucky people who can get by with some caffeine consumption.

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Are we the only locals who are having big problems with our newspaper delivery?  In the past week, we have missed getting a paper at least three days, we have had the same missed papers delivered twice in a wad--on two consecutive days, and on Friday, the first day after the paper "drought and flood" we finally had only one paper in the box.  It was Tuesday's.  We never did get Fridays.  Today again we had no paper.  We've reported the problems at least three times since we've moved here.

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I hear that Prince William and his wife had a baby boy this afternoon.  I pity them--not because they had a baby, but because the whole world will evaluate their name choice v-eee-rrrr-yyyy critically.  Royals usually take their time to announce the baby's name.  It probably takes a while to work up the courage.

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 The youth fellowship meetings for our district are in Kansas this year, this coming weekend.  I'm taking note of the fact that if you're a local youth who is going on chorus tour and attended the chorus retreat, who plans to attend the fellowship meetings, and who participated in the recent volleyball tournament, you will have had three consecutive all-day Saturday events.  Let's see . . . oh, nevermind.

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Last Sat. eve. our small group had our "Sunday" gathering at the Nickerson park.  Titus Y. grilled meat and the rest of us brought side dishes.  It rained almost all evening--softly.  We stayed dry and blessedly cool inside a large picnic shelter.  It's been a long time since I sat "outside" in the rain.  Often there's enough electrical drama accompanying the rain that sitting outside feels a little risky.  Not so on Saturday evening.  It was a very good evening.

Titus suggested that each of us tell the group about one highlight of our summer, past, present, or still being anticipated.  A number of our mothers and farmers focused on the bounty we have enjoyed this year in the gardens and in the wheat harvest.  Our very hot and dry weather the past few years have helped us see how precious these gifts are.  Several in our group did move or will move this summer.  Some enjoyed vacation trips; others liked having people home who were gone at school.  Betty said she's having a lot of fun raising broilers this summer.  Crist is looking forward to his son Jerry's wedding later this summer.  Mae likes to create quilts in her cool basement. John is looking forward to chorus tour.  This is a good thing, since he's directing the group.