Raindrops Keep Falling on My . . . Roof?

It seldom rains in August in Los Angeles.  But thanks to hurricane Hilary, last Saturday we were pummeled by an out-of-season storm, and for the first time in 84 years it rained in August.  And not just a trace of rain, but a downpour of more than two inches.

When I was a boy, I loved to play in the rain.  My enjoyment wasn’t even hampered by my mother’s insistence that I wear a rubber raincoat and galoshes.

But my love of rain diminished substantially in my mid-30’s.  At that time I managed more than 50 apartment buildings in the San Fernando Valley.  Each of them had a roof that might leak, and I lacked the cash to fix them.  So in those days, when I laid in bed Saturday morning, listening to the rain, I would play a “game” with myself, estimating the amount the rain would cost.  Was this a $30,000 rain, or a $40,000 rain?  As I’m sure you can understand, when rain became costly I enjoyed it a lot less.

But isn’t it always the case that your point of view depends upon the point of your view.  My business concerns trumped my previous pleasure of enjoying a good rain in Los Angeles.  It’s also true that, over time, my values and preferences have changed.  Today, I look forward to a nine pm bedtime.  When I was in my teens and twenties, the evening was yet young.

And that leads me to my favorite line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (one I have often quoted). “There is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.”  Is rain in August good or bad?  Well, I guess that depends on whether you are frolicking in it or trying to drive through a flooded intersection.

My oldest granddaughter is getting married in late October at an outdoor wedding.  Obviously, a rainstorm that day would not be good, even though I assume there’s an indoor back up plan.

But enough philosophy.  It’s now Monday morning, and I have work to do.

And a lunch date.

At an indoor restaurant.

Alan