My phone weather forecast showed a 5% chance of rain, so John and I set out for our walk. We heard rumbling in the distance 15 minutes in, and I thought it was the sound of a truck having a rough start. It must have been thunder. After climbing the steep hill, it began to sprinkle. John opted to shelter under trees, so I stayed with him. I should have walked on. The rain became heavier. Neighbor Ray offered us a ride in his truck, but we declined. Two mistakes did not make things better. Visiting daughter Kate woke up, realized it was raining, and phoned to see if she should come for us. Mistake number three! We reasoned that we were almost home and already wet. When we finally dripped in, I had Kate take our picture. We didn’t look nearly as wet as we really were.

I saw a black and white animal come from a neighbor’s driveway and thought they must have gotten a cat. A few steps later, I realized it was a skunk. John is far-sighted and sees things more clearly than I do. He said there was more white than black on it. As it ambled away from us, I saw the entire back view was white. The camera was lethargic and didn’t make it out of my pocket fast enough to take a shot.

Grandson Nathaniel and John began restorative work on the backyard waterfall. It leaked at the end of the season last year and did not heal itself over the winter. John wanted to dismantle it, thinking a hose was leaking under the pool. Nathaniel recommended a more conservative approach. He thought changing the position of hoses would solve the problem. We kept our fingers crossed, but the water level went down markedly.