The Rains Came
For the past several years we haven't had any significant rain until November, but last night a large storm rolled in and is supposed to give us at least an inch of rain. The fire season is over! Now all we have to worry about are mud slides and floods.

A few days ago Adam the Contractor mentioned that he's working as a part-time English teacher in Italy, plus doing night work as a casino security guard. He says that he'd like to open a small hotel with inexpensive rooms and internet connections. A laudable goal, but it sounds to me like he is planning on getting out of the construction business all together. That being the case, I told him to go ahead with the kitchenette that Chuck and I had decided to put in downstairs -- small sink, two-burner stove, and compact 'fridge. I had planned for him to do that the next time he came back from Italy, but the next time he's in town, he might not want to do any construction at all. It turned out to be a really good idea, because now he has indoor work to do while the weather is bad.

Chuck and I planned to put in the downstairs bathroom and a kitchenette against the time when we would be too physically feeble to use the exterior stairs, although I have put off that evil day for a while by having the stairs roofed over. In the meantime, friends and relations who come by for a visit will be able to make a cup of tea or heat a pot of soup in the kitchenette.