Rainy Saturday

Does this sound like California in June to you? May, even?

Cloudy and cold . . .

Sunny and cold . . .

Overcast and cold . . .

RAINY AND COLD ! ! !



Splish splash

 No alarm on this Saturday morning and the gentle rainfall lulled me into "sleeping in," so I've been hanging out in my jammies all morning, doing time wasters. It ain't fit for man nor beast out there. But there's something I want to do out there, so I decide I'd better get dressed so I won't blow it off at the last minute because I'm not ready.

A friend died, right after Easter, in fact I think it was the day after she'd come over to greet my Sister, brother-in-law and me at the Easter buffet. A memorial was scheduled in the park today and we wondered yesterday when rain was being forecast whether it would still be on. I had to go to town last evening to mail a letter and saw on the community bulletin board that it was.

I decided I would go, "shine or rain."

Meanwhile, flea market: cancelled.

Benefit car wash: cancelled. (Although I don't know why; washing a car in the rain works out pretty well.)

Farmers' market: surprisingly, still held, although not all sellers showed up.

Edith knew my parents well, and knew me too, especially after we participated in French-speaking evenings at a friend's home here in town. She had studied French for many years in school, but it was never conversational French, a shortcoming she so wanted to overcome. And she wanted to go to France.

With visions of standing in the cold rain in the park, I pondered what to wear. Jeans, generally appropriate for anything in this community, are not suitable in the rain. They get wet, then they're cold, and they just stay wet. And cold. My favorite black polyester travel pants seem exactly the thing. They'd dry out before I even get home. I pull them from the dryer, where a load finished up last night. Why is there always a Kleenex™ in the dark laundry? When I take them out, the dryer has deposited all the Kleenex™ in the lint filter, to be replaced by a few tangles of cat hair. I put the pants on. All is well, except that I remember that the seam was opening in the crotch when I last took them off. Phew.

I recall there are black nylon pants in the closet that I acquired when I went on the castle restoration project in 2004. They're like cargo pants but the legs will zip off if we have a sudden outburst of sunshine.



The pants in 2004

Will they still fit? I try them on inside the closet to keep cats out. Cats like to jump up to the closet shelves, which they do by scrambling up the hanging clothes and dumping them all on the floor. They also throw things off the shelves. Amazingly the pants fit.

Thwarted, Jean-Luc finds my rain jacket draped over the chair.



I hear a strange rustling sound from within my jacket.




Jean-Luc emerges.



"My job here is done."

 For all my advance thinking, I still arrive only minutes before 3 PM. Other cars are still pulling in, people are heading for the lower park, but I don't see their destination yet.

Ahhh.  We'll be under shelter.

We sign the guest book, get a program with pictures of Edith, and a copy of her chocolate chip cookie recipe.

The shade cover in front of the stage area prevents the rain shelter from being set up closer. "Hello over there."



We Love You Edith




Edith loved red.


When planners realized yesterday that there would be rain, they scoured three or four counties for a red cover. There was this one.



Red stripes even reflect in my nails.



Rain continues to fall.



Who knew you'd still be wearing your snowman jacket in June?



Terri and Gary bundled up and cold.



Amazing Grace




Edith was Grand Marshal at last year's 49er Festival. She knew everyone
and did so very much for the community. Family and friends remembered her
in songs and stories, love and laughter, and hearty food to partake of.
I hope she was here with us.  She would have loved the party.



Pictures everywhere, of Edith with everyone



Winding down

See you tomorrow.

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