Big Sky

This has been one of those days where it pours down rain for awhile, then the sun comes out and I'm lulled into believing that it has stopped. The roar of the creek across the street can be heard as soon as we step outside. The gutters don't even have a chance to empty or the flooded intersections to recede before it starts again. I thought this picture taken from the front porch illustrates the dichotomy quite well....

I'm sure I've written about this before, but one consequence of living in a built up urban area is that it is impossible to see the sky. When we lived in Berkeley, our house was closely surrounded by houses that were either taller or, in the case of the one behind us, uphill.  The house itself had sloping ceilings and dormer windows in the upstairs, and was built in such a way that it was difficult to see the street, much less the sky.
(We could, however, see directly into our neighbors' houses...good thing we liked them.)

From the first morning we woke up in this house, we were struck by how light it is, and how wide the sky that we can see from almost every window. Now I understand the meaning of the term 'big sky'. It's often  refers to the state of Montana, but it applies equally well to this part of Santa Rosa.

Even when it is pouring rain, the sky can be beautiful....

As I was driving through a torrential downpour to class this morning, a large display went on on my dashboard saying I had a problem with tire pressure. I often get this, but when one the graphic display tells me one tire is ten pounds lower than the other three it is cause for concern, so I stopped by our friendly auto repair shop. I love these people...they are always smiling and helpful, except for the family dog, a cute little Bichon Frisee, who is usually suspicious, and rejects any overtures of friendship. Today I ignored her completely, and she eventually hopped up on the couch next to me.

Turns out I had a nail in my tire. Replacing all four tires, expensive enough,  will still cost only half as much as replacing the crown on my tooth...and the dentist doesn't even have a cute little dog. I wonder how many of his frequent absences from the office are vacations financed by my failing fillings?