Rain, Rain, Go Away

And if it won't, we will!

It's raining so hard that it's not grey outside; it's blue.  It's so dark that the streetlights are on (this was taken just after 2 p.m.).

Back when we were young and living in San Diego County, we lamented the lack of seasons.  The Christmas of 1980 when the temperature was also in the 80's we decided was the final straw.

But for some reason that doesn't sound all so bad now.  Most times I don't feel like I'm the age that the calendar tells me I am.   But the cold, wet, and dark affect me more now.  Or I'm just freaking tired of it.  Whatever.

I found a pretty "holiday lights" theme to put on my computer desktop.  It includes pictures like:

Palm Springs, perhaps?

And Arizona, for sure.

Our rig is bigger than this, but you get the idea.  I know she wants to go as she had been creeping toward the front gate when I got home from work yesterday.

It will only be for a couple of weeks this year, as I have to come back to do the year-end processing.  But the time is coming.

Now, where was I?

The year's reading list, continued:

#26 The Boy in the Suitcase:  Lene Kaaberbol & Agnete Friis.  Another Scandinavian mystery (see Girl with the Dragon Tatoo) and a pretty decent read.

#27 My Sister's Keeper: Jodi Picoult.  I had seen the movie but had not read the book.  It was good right up to the end which, as Ellie warned me, does not match the movie.  And there I found it a cop-out.  It seemed too neat and not realistic.  Disappointing.

#28 The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale: Oliver Potsch.  Eh.  Not as good as the original.  No torturing of "witches".

#29 44 Scotland Street: Alexander McCall Smith, the first of the 44 Scotland Street novels.  I have read  all of the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books and adore them.  They make me want to go to Botswana.  I found this book to be fun, and will read the others in the series.

#30 Sometimes when I read one book, it leads me to try another.   In the book In One Person by John Irving, Madame Bovary plays an important part.   I tried.  I really tried.  For the last three weeks I have tried.  But all that happens is that I go to bed, read one page (sometimes less) and it puts me to sleep.  It is very rare that I get through 64% of a large book and give up on it.  I skimmed through to the end, which I already knew.  Due to the effort involved, I am counting it anyway.

There is a scene in In One Person where the hero is reading the story to his friend Tom Atkins.  Tom cheers at the end when Emma vomits blood and dies.  I understand: Emma is one of the least sympathetic characters (to me) I have ever read.  Grow up and get over it!

Update as I was unclear: #30 that I couldn't stomach was Madame Bovary, not Irving's book.

#31 Currently reading Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale Dan Dye & Mark Beckloff.  The true story of a deaf double-merle (they are calling her an "albino") Great Dane.  Good entertainment so far, though written by "pet people" rather than from insiders of the fancy.

I think that next I will spring for Barbara Kingsolver's new novel which was just released.   If you haven't read her: do!