Just when we thought the rainy season had ended, it's raining again!
Woke to a gentle pitter-pat that turned into something more closely resembling rain for the last half-hour. Although earlier predictions were for only smatterings of moisture for this week, today's forecast has been re-cast to call for just over an inch of rain. Hope the forecast proves true! You never know here in the mountains; it may be drenching folks out in the countryside and relatively dry here in town. Although the Presa is looking happier, there's never enough rain (as long as we don't live next to the stream that runs through town and sometimes overflows when there's excess water coming down) - and we avoid living in those areas.
Also hope that the rain provides brief breaks so that I can zip over to the grocery store for more purified water and fabric finish. (Ironing to do, ya know?) Started organizing the formal wear for our upcoming cruise and realized that the neck bands of our wing-collar shirts were a bit dingy looking. What did I use for detergent the last time?!? Any way, a quick application of the newest miracle whitener and a quick wash and they're as good as new -- except they need the application of a hot, steaming iron and some starch. Oops - make that 'fabric finish;' hard to find real starch nowadays. And just as well, I suppose.
I seem to recall my mother doing the laundry: washing, rinsing, and then a second rinse with the starch in it. Then hanging the washing out to dry and collecting it later in the day. Ironing took a second day.
I know it's a bit early to start packing, but there's nothing wrong with sorting things out, right? We have an Excel spreadsheet with all the travel arrangements (airlines, seat assignments, reservation numbers, times, airports, shuttles, hotels, pre- and post-cruise arrangements, (the cruise too, including special meals, details of island tours, and the shows for each night - based upon the earlier May cruise), and the ever-popular 'what-we're-wearing-each-day-and-how-can-we-fit-everything-into-one-large-suitcase section. Some less charitable readers might accuse me of OCPD (Obsessive-Compulsive Packing Disorder), but I like to think of it as 'advance planning.' As long as we don't need moth balls in the suitcases, eh? [I am resisting the urge to open up the suitcases and start fitting things in.]
Long ago - in a former life - a friend got so enthused about an up-coming trip that she started packing a couple of months in advance. I did gift her some cedar fresheners to keep her clothes from becoming musty....
