It's the Fourth of July and like clockwork the clouds and the rain and the THUNDER have blown in to Seattle. It is NEVER sunny on the Fourth of July here. Oh well, at least those little bottle rockets the kids next door are lighting won't catch our roof on fire this year.

Dean and I sat out back and ate ribeye steaks for dinner, with grilled baby bok choy, garlic and portabello mushrooms, as it rained. We were protected by the table umbrella, and it was actually kind of delightful, to watch the rain coming down, yet not be wetted by it. NPR was playing on our hand-cranked emergency radio. A red-breasted finch was sitting on the telephone wire, watching us, and flapping his little feathers.