Thursday Thoughts and a Bit about Books

Busy Thursday....We had over 5 1/2 inches of rain yesterday and .....Please Mother Nature....we don't need anymore...The drought is over, I'm sure. There is standing water everywhere around us....the river will crest on Sat. Probable 4 -5 ft over flood stage.We are pretty far from the river, but we can see it's overflow in the cornfield just across the highway. We laugh....we have river front property now. I sure am glad that we don't live on the river right now.
I heard the strangest thing late yesterday....while the sky was churning, lightning flashing, thunder booming and rain falling like never before...two robins were sitting in our pine tree...just singing away. Later, when it was dark, I heard cardinals and robins singing joyfully. Aren't they suppose to take cover? Do they have no fear? I always feel sorry for little birds in storms, but I guess they can fend for themselves.
While Joe was out checking out the neighborhood, I got busy and made the first pasta salad of the year. We are having (what else) pork chops and Joe will have a baked potato. I'm having pasta salad. It's one of those boxed salads, but not using the dressing packet that comes with. I made a pesto salad dressing and added onion, cherry tomatoes, black olives and some black beans. It tastes wonderful.
I cleaned my little vacuum, Roomba, and started him on his way...cleaning the carpet. That is the  best invention. Our house has never been vacuumed so much. It does a good job on the baseboards and under the beds. When it's finished it parks itself...charging up for the next time.
I am just in the last few chapters of my book, The Dipper. It has turned out to be a very good read...as they say. Now that I have all the characters in mind...I enjoy it a little more. Marcia Willett is the author. I have read a couple other books of hers....one is A Week in Winter....I really enjoyed that one. Speaking of that book title, Maeve Binchy, the author who recently passed away, wrote one with the same name... just before she died.I ordered it a while back and it's sitting there, next to my chair, waiting for me to start it. I'll miss Maeve's books...she was one of my favorite authors.It's sad when we lose one of our favorites... My tastes in reading have changed since I'm older. I used to read a racy book once in a while...back when I was younger, but now I find that I look for more substance in what I read. Novels are so many times about women my age....living in cottages, near woods, comfy furnishings, fire places, gardens ....lots of descriptive  writing is just my cup of tea.
Well, this got long, but before I close for the day..I wanted to mention that I just heard our President speak at the service in Boston. I was moved to tears...he has a way of comforting a nation with just words. I do hope this madness ends and that they find the cowards who did this terrible thing. How can a person be so evil?
Balisha