Neat-O

This week is all about painting the porch and deck. Sandwiches for supper every night. Again.

I'll post some pictures of our newly refurbished porch later, but I just had to share this right now.

We are in a drought. We need rain.

But I am painting. I don't want rain.

Wait... but we're in a drought, and we really need rain. I'm repeating myself, aren't I?

I spent four hours painting today. Not consecutively.

Kids.

Is that enough of an explanation?

First, I dropped off Clay at basketball camp at our church. Got back home and changed into grubby clothes, and the job began. Spencer and Allison played outside for a little over two hours before I had to change back into halfway decent clothes and return to pick up Clay.

His buddy Nathan came home with us, because his mom had a little schedule overlap between her other child's swimming lessons and the end of basketball camp.

I had just gotten each of the kids a popsicle when Valerie pulled up. We chatted a bit while her daughter ate her popsicle and then they went home.

I wanted to go right back to painting. But it was really after lunch time already, and I knew those kids of mine would be begging for some vittles as soon as I got the brush coated in paint.

Thirty minutes after fixing them lunch and changing back into my grubby clothes, I was back to painting.

It's been super hot today. Lower 90s, with 55 percent humidity. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time pausing in the work to drink water, because it was seeping out of my pores faster than I could swallow it down.

I hate sweating.

Anyway, I made the kids stay inside after lunch. Partly because it was so hot and I didn't want to stop working to smear sunscreen on them. And partly because... I work faster and better without them distracting me.

I planned for them to come out and swim without sunscreen after 3:30 p.m.

But the thunder started rolling in right around 3-ish. After 15 minutes of that, I called Bruce.

"Are you still pretty sure it's not supposed to rain today? Because I'm still painting. And I hear thunder. And it's getting cloudier. And darker."

He checked his magic radar (whatever Internet site he consults to find the answer to my deep weather questions).

"Well, actually, it looks like you are about to get hit. You might want to stop."

And that's how that little litany began. The one I started this post with.

We are in a drought. We need rain.

But I am painting. I don't want rain.

Wait... but we're in a drought, and we really need rain.

I put up all my painting supplies and I prayed for the rain to miss us just long enough for my paint to dry adequately.

And then Bruce told me to go look at his magic radar site. You can plug in your address and see where the rain is falling in regards to your house.

I plugged in our address and laughed out loud when I saw the feedback.

Various rain systems to the left and right. Our home was rain free in the middle.

One system moved north, the other moved south.

It's not exactly Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. But I take my miracles anyway I can get them.

Thank you Jesus.

I'll pray for rain tomorrow. When I can't paint because I'm taking the kids all around town for various fun and free things.