Saturday's Scribbles

Good Saturday morning to you from our corner of Iowa where the corn is basking in the heat and humidity and growing tall!  July has definitely arrived with temperatures in the high 80's and dew points creeping up into the 70's.  We were able to do a little porch sitting this morning as a thunderstorm passed by.  There is something soothing about listening to a gentle rain, quiet thunder, and the wind moving through the trees and bushes. Iowa in summer.

Speaking of Iowa, we have been here now for 23 years and bought this house 15 years ago.  Joel and those he hired spent many weeks renovating it to bring it back to life.  It was in bad shape and needed so much work.  A long time friend, John, came and helped Joel after we first held the papers in our hands.  Some of my family helped with painting which included my brother painting the high living room ceiling and Joel climbing an extension ladder to get to the top of the 30 foot peak.  FYI:  For anyone who thinks they want high ceilings remember that sound and heat rises so that I can be up in our bedroom and it is like the TV in the living room is on right next to me!  Not cool........It is an unusual house, to say the least, but then we are unusual people...or so I have been told.  Not too long ago Joel was home caring for me on a Sunday morning after surgery and he looked out to see a man standing in the street, taking pictures of our house.   His curiosity quickly had him walking out the door and over to the man to ask what he was doing.....turns out he used to live here and the front of the house had changed so much he wanted pictures.  We did add a porch and new siding to the house 11 years ago. 

We went to Hobby Lobby early this morning, then Joel walked with me around the cul-de-sac here which felt sooooo good.  It was still raining a bit, but did not deter us from getting a little fresh air.  There is that old song..........."raindrops keep falling on my head".   Grateful.  It is not a gentle rain falling in the south, though, where flooding and evacuations are ongoing.  Keeping that part of our country in prayer today. 

Weather is such a big part of our lives.  Good and bad.  My history holds earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, typhoons, blizzards, and more.  We can watch the weather 24/7 now and our phones light up with alerts!  I remember one time when I was a teenager I was out in our backyard goofing around with my boyfriend, neither of us realizing a tornado warning was in place and across town it was doing some damage.  Now, we are warned about every little weather blip that comes across the radar.  It has saved many lives and is necessary I am sure, but at times it feels overdone.  Still, since Joel is an old meteorologist, I can't complain!

Nothing much to scribble about today.  I have been finishing up Brian and Candace Simmons book, "Tn the Wilderness:  Where Miracles Are Born" and I am reading a Marcia Muller mystery, which is a good distraction.  What are you reading?