Pouring Down Rain

Heavy rains today, mostly all through the morning, with just some showers this afternoon. As always, the usual downtown areas flooded this morning within the first inches of the rainstorm. The news reports the stories, the weathermen measure the inches, and the city Powers That Be don't do a darn thing between one rainstorm and the next. And, just like New Orleans, the downtown areas that flood the worst are inhabited by the residents who can least afford the losses from the water damage.

Back to the drawing board with the weekend-home searches for us. I've found at least half a dozen new listings to see around Lake Livingston. The blue house that we liked now has a contract on it, and that's fine with us. We liked the house, but were wishing it had less stairs and more property, so we hadn't planned on increasing our offer on that one. The one-story house on the larger property is history also-- not sold yet, but we're not increasing our bid on that one either... the seller wants to include a $10,000 boat with the house.... a boat that my husband doesn't want and doesn't want to pay for, so that ends that one. Also fine with me... I loved the property, but wished the house had been a different style.

I called up the home-owner in the little town of Magnolia and told him that as much as we loved his house with its own sweet private lake, we just need to keep looking. It's more than enough "lake" for me, of course, but I'm not the one who's going to be boating and fishing on it. I loved that house and its three-acre property...... a "Comfort house" in Magnolia is what I was calling it. But it just wasn't meant to be, and that's that.

So back we'll go, up to Livingston and Onalaska, for another look-see. But not till after all of this rain quits. Can't be driving along the Gulf Freeway in this weather and not knowing which sections along the downtown loops will be under water. Honestly, you'd think someone in City Hall would make it their business to fix the drainage problems down there.


I spoke to my dad over the weekend, to wish him a happy Father's Day. He sounded fine, but lonely again. He still wants to get out of New Jersey and get back to New York to see Aunt Dolly. He worries about her because she's 94 now, but I think Aunt Dolly is healthier than he is, for the simple reason that she worries less about things than my dad does. Being a worrier can make you ill, tense, and/or depressed...... none of which give you a solid basis for good health.

I didn't mention our weekend-house hunting to my father. I don't think he would understand, given that he took very few vacations in all the years he spent working. My dad was a true working-man.... worked more hours than he rested, and gave away more money than he saved. If he had his life to do over again, I don't know if he'd do anything differently. Would any of us? I guess the bottom line for us all is that we do the best we can when we can... and as Oprah is fond of saying: Only when we know better, we do better.