Rain, get the hell outta California cos PAT & TIM are gonna be here soon and Tim has NO PATIENCE for bad weather on his vacation

It's been a wet weekend. The rain started on Thursday afternoon when Lottie and I were crafting it up at the kid's art center at LACMA and, aside from a few breaks, socially and cloud-wise, we have focused on it almost non-stop. Friday and Saturday nights, we very much enjoyed the company of our neighbors, Aldo & Greg, and Aldo's Aunt Maryanne and dad, Aldo, Sr. who was visiting from the South of France. The warmth of good food and good company are enjoyed even more when the weather is wild. Outside, the rain gauge bucket is full. It's not under a tree or eaves or anywhere that the total may be compromised, so it's sort of accurate. Not as accurate as my neighbor's rain gauge. Louise & Doug have lived in this canyon for over 40 years and know absolutely everything so when I want to know accurate rainfall totals, I pick up the phone and give them a call. I sent an email to Louise on Thursday evening asking for rainfall totals when this latest mess is finished.

I'm praying that all this rain means that it will be completely and totally finished in one week's time when our good friends, Pat & Tim, arrive from Milwaukee because they hold us completely and totally accountable for any weather. If it's good, we get the credit and, correspondingly, when it's not sunny and warm...well, when it's not perfect, it's bad. During their visit last year, it rained...quite a bit. We tried to point out the beauty of the wild lupine with silvery beads of water delicately bubbling its silvery green foliage. Tim was unimpressed. Tim doesn't go on vacation to sit and look out the window, lingering over a PERFECT cup of coffee that I've just made. No, he assures me that instant is fine and let's get the damn show on the road. He's pulling on boots and rain slicker, all the time urging Pat to hurry up cos time's a'wasting. I love her calm responses. She assures him that she'll be ready shortly but she moves at her own pace and finishes what she feels needs finishing. She APPRECIATES my coffee. So, they're coming this weekend and I am regretting my lack of any real relationship with whoever controls the weather. I want to get my local weather guru, Dallas Raines , to assure me that it will NOT rain during Pat & Tim's visit, but I know he's a realist and will tell me that if they're worried about rain then they should make their California trips between April and November when it pretty much NEVER rains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the seven-day forecast that I've just looked at is accurate because if it isn't, I'm thinking of taking a trip myself!