Morning all:

Finally a perfect combination—a cool morning coupled with a hot mug of coffee. This is especially so after a solid week of temperatures hovering in the mid nineties and coupled with high humidity. The break is welcome, even if it’s only going to last a couple of days.

The whole week has also been a challenge from the dog-walking perspective. Morning and night it’s been thundershowers that have rolled on through. Nothing was as serious as the stuff that the city of St. Louis (up the road from us) experienced, nevertheless enough lightning and rain to change our schedule. Yesterday morning I was set to walk Shang at 5:30 just to miss the predicted rush-hour rains, by 5:31 the lightning and rain was right above the house.

Fifty minutes later it was all over and Shang and I set off into the fresh steam newly rising from grass and pavement, now in a hurry since I had to also get ready for work. This makes it so that it’s very difficult to stop from sweating by the time the commute starts, even after the morning shower. It then makes you look like one of the many other idiots who drive along all slouched in their seats so that their faces can be parked directly in front of one of the A/C vents, fan on high. Even with that effort there is still water dripping from hair to neck, even after you had just completely dried your head minutes earlier. It truly is amazing that there are virtually no accidents when half the people are driving at 70 mph, not looking at the road ahead, but down into their air vents. And here you thought I drove like that just to try to establish that sexy ghetto-driver look.

Adrianne has been begging for me to send her the paperwork the government requires for Tevita to join her on the trip home in late September. Finally, yesterday, I got the couple of simple government forms filled out, notarized, and made ready for DHL Worldwide Express to pickup. You can imagine my complete surprise when the DHL driver informed me that my “Express Letter” document weighed in at exactly one ton.

Talking with Kirstin she shared that at yesterday’s pediatric visit Kellen was pronounced healthy and that at 1 day shy of 3 weeks of age he weighs in at about eleven and a half pounds. “Bruiser” is indeed an apt nickname. I have made plans to see all of the Florida gang for a short visit in early August. One day to “ooh” and “aah” over Kellen and spend a few hours of playing around with Derek. Then during nap time(s) do a little catching up with Vince and Kirstin. Marcia had six-weeks so now it’s my turn.

Oh no! Looking up over top of the tree-line is a line of very dark gray and very fast moving clouds. Not again, enough already! I guess that I had best spring into action.

Make it a great week everyone; even if in every life a little rain must fall.

Cheers,
Dirk