The Edge of Wetness

Last night's thin haze gradually thickened into clouds. I went out about two o'clock, just in time to see the last stars swallowed by the darkness. The moon has not appeared. A few minutes ago, a stiff breeze began rattling the windows and making the eaves groan as they were craped by the mulberry branch that needs to be trimmed. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of raindrops, and smelled the scent that rose from the newly dampened ground. I went outdoors to welcome the first rain of autumn. Thus far, it is mostly a heavy mist, with occasional flurries of heavier drops, but it is enough to delight me. I wasn't expecting rain. Now I am tempted to go for a walk in it, the air still being mild and the prospect of watching the morning break over damp fields so alluring, but it is late and there are still tasks to do. Maybe I'll get them done and then just let the rain sing me to sleep.

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I've stumbled across a web site with a large collection of movie stills and publicity photos of movie stars, mostly from the 1940s and earlier. It's called Dr. Macro's High Quality Movie Scans, and they are high quality, indeed. For example, here's a 708K head shot of Bogart, 1791x2151 pixels. And here's Betty Bacall to keep him company. I'm quite impressed with Dr. Macro's work, and the whole site. There's also a generous assortment of film clips (.wmv files), but I haven't downloaded any, being on dial-up.

Go out now get wet.

Drat.

All day gray clouds and no rain. No sooner do I get connected to teh Internets than I hear thunder. Severe storm warning for Yuba and Butte Counties. Electrical storms, hail, possible tornadoes in the valley. Well, I can't stay plugged in. Besides, I want to go out and watch. Ooh, lightning!