Rainy Day in Amarillo

We don't get a lot of rain in Amarilo (maybe 22 inches a year) but it rained all day yesterday and today looks the same. Rumor has it that it will remain tomorrow. Good for the farmers (who don't have to pay to irrigate the wheat) and good for the lawns and gardens.

Leanna and I had a professional landscaper turn the back yard into something out of Better Homes & Jungles last year, and it came through the winter well. The plants are sprouting (including the catnip) and the lawn area is greening up nicely. Half of the yard is shreaded cedar and cyprus mulch, which is where the plants (and large pretty rocks) are. We also have a life size bronze sculpture of a cougar. (We named him Rocket after the Rocky Mountains and tell people he is the grandfather of our Bengal Leopard-Cats.) Leanna and I love to spend an hour in the gazebo on many evenings, watching the cats play and the sun go down. Very calming. We often picnic there, 50 feet from the back door of the house (and telephones).

We can hear the rain in the office, and of course, the thunder. It cools things down to a comfy 70 degrees, and the rain has a calming effect on everything. I love to go stand on the office porch and just watch and listen. Leanna reports we're now getting some hail and there is a tornado watch.

Work proceeds steadily on many projects, including Captain's Log 35, Omega Master Rulebook, Battleships Attack, Module R11, the Master Starship Book, and Distant Kingdoms. Now that I am past the Tholian experience, I have a fairly relaxed month ahead of me, one in which I can "work ahead" on future projects and make progress on everything and catch up on backlog. I'm planning to spend one day per week on the MSSB starting next week.