The 99 Names for Rain....

In truth, this is no doubt an urban legend; and if memory serves, we could only brainstorm something in the low 30's, despite having all grown up in Seattle. Light Sprinkles. Drizzle. Scattered Showers. Downpour. Cloudburst. Partly Cloudy. Partly Sunny. Freezing Rain. Mixed Snow and Rain. Cats and Dogs. A Gully Washer. And we've just scratched the surface. Unfortunately I've misplaced the list. My father insists on the distinction between "wet" rain and "dry" rain, -- one of which requires an umbrella, while the other can typically be braved in shirtsleeves, or maybe with a sweatshirt and perhaps a hat. Gore-Tex has made dry rain a lot more common than it used to be. And I can still remember as a newcomer to Boston, stepping out of doors into a soaked through to the skin thundershower which I was certain was "dry" enough to let me get to the corner store and back for cigarettes. Sigh. How much different my life might be now if I'd learned THAT lesson 30 years ago....

Some big steps forward in my life this past week. Was able to stand unassisted during physical therapy on Monday, and even took a few tentative steps forward and backward with the walker. Later that evening, tired of trying to eat my supper at eye level, I actually climbed into a barstool at Binga's -- that's one small step for a man, but a giant step backward for my diet. Especially after taking the plunge Wednesday and stepping on the scale for the first time in three months at the Doctor's office, and discovering that I've gained 20 lbs since the end of April. OK, let's just call it lack of exercise. Or lack of something.

In any event, as I said in a previous post, into every life some rain does fall...and as a native Seattlite, no one should know this better than me. How does that old song go? "Raindrops keep falling on my head....