Taking a Break...

... from my busy day to go outside and sit under the awning in a rainstorm.

The view from under the awning.

Another view - that gray lump in the foreground is Miss Zukiko

This might seem oh-so-mundane to you, Gentle Reader, but let me assure you: it's NOT. It usually rains sideways here on the High Plains of New Mexico, which is to say our rain is almost ALWAYS accompanied by high winds. Not so today... the rain came straight down, at least at the beginning of the storm. There was no wind to speak of, and so my awning remained in the down position and I was able to sit outside with a cigar and a beer and enjoy the front end of the storm. That lasted all of about 15 minutes, until such time as the wind arrived and drove me inside.

Here's one of the first pics I took when I got outside:

You can plainly see that my sitting position is right on the edge of getting wet. And I DID get wet, once the wind came up. But it sure was nice while it lasted. There's something that's just so very clean and peaceful about sitting out in the rain... the air is fresh and cool, and the rain seems to wash away all but the most persistent of bad thoughts. In my case, anyway. YMMV.

And speaking of rain... we've had a lot of it (relatively speaking) the last three days. That's a Great Good Thing, Gentle Reader.