"Weather" we like it or not

Since the fortunes have decreed that we shall be wet and chilly this summer, I - along with the rest of the general population - have been faced with the problem of how to “do” summer in the rain.


I’ve been complaining about it right along with everyone else, but obviously, it isn’t something we have any control over. It’s not a situation we are faced with that often, thank goodness, but it does required some creative thinking to work around.


For instance, lets consider drying laundry this summer. I’ve tried very hard to avoid using my dryer for the last couple of years… preferring, whenever possible, to use my clothes line. To say that’s been challenging this summer would be an understatement. It has rained while the sun is out several times, catching me standing beside the line full of clothes I just finished hanging out.
But I’ve found a way around the dilemma. By half drying my laundry in the dryer, then draping the semi-wet laundry on all the upright surfaces in the house, I cut down on dryer time without having to hang clothes in the rain. Mind you, our house sometimes looks like a department store blew up around here… but I have kids - I’m used to that.


Keeping the lawn green is usually the challenge for August, but our grass is healthy and lovely this year. Keeping it under control is quite another story. We are fortunate, because we live on a hill with great soil drainage. That means our grass dries out quite quickly after a rainfall… that is, in typical summer conditions.


In recent weeks though, if the sky clears at all, we find ourselves racing like a madman for the mower, in case we miss that 35-50 minute window of opportunity and it’s starts to rain again. If we decide to check the mailbox first, we sometimes find ourselves waiting three more days for another dry day.


In keeping with the “glass half full” attitude that I try stoically to maintain, I have given the matter some serious thought and discovered that rainy summers do have a few good things going for them…


· The summer reading list will be complete a couple of weeks early.
· The gardens are lovely (if a trifle neglected in the “weed” department)
· We’re using less hydro, because the a/c is off most days.
· We’re getting really good at jigsaw puzzles!
· And I finally got to use my cool, purple-flowered umbrella!


So the summer won’t be a total loss after all!