It's a good day for corn bread and beans

I really thought we were getting a good rain this morning, thinking we'd get another 4/10 of an inch:  That's how much we've gotten from every rain so far this year (not that I care, at this point).  We got a new rain gauge from Amazon day before yesterday, one that we hope will last over one year; if it doesn't, though, it only cost about six dollars.  So it didn't break the bank, you see.  When it seemed like the rain was over, I went out with a flashlight to see how much rain had fallen; there were about two drops in the bottom of it.  Ha!  There may  be a little more coming, but as usual, the big part of this front is in Iowa.

 Anyhow, it's going to be a fairly cool day, and I had a ham bone left from Easter.   I soaked the beans all night, poured off the soaking water and added fresh water, chopped a big onion, a couple of celery ribs, garlic and tossed all that in the pot; added a bay leaf, a little cumin, pepper, cayenne pepper, and parsley.  I like some color in my pinto beans!  All I have to do at our noon meal is get out the cast iron skillet and make the cornbread.

I recently read Lucy by the Sea after seeing it among the books Stargazer had read.  I like a lot of the same books she does, and if she gives it a good rating, I usually try it.  We don't always agree on everything we read, but I usually find her reading options match my own.  Tayla Tate Boerner, who is herself an author, makes a list of the books she's reading every month or so, and I often find good reads on her blog.  I discovered Tayla from following Galla Creek Ephemeris.  My Arkansas friend mentioned one book some time ago that I can't find in any of the three libraries from which  I download books, Traitor King: the Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.  One of these days I might have to break down and buy it.  I don't want the physical book, though, because I do read a lot on the exercise bike; there's no room on the bike for a real book, so I'd have to hold in my hand for half an hour.

It's raining again, and I hear thunder.  Cliff is awake and putting his ear on, so I started his coffee.  I'm out of here!

P.S.  I was looking at the rain gauge wrong.  After it rained yet again when Cliff got up, I waited until the rain stopped and went to look.  We received over seven-tenths of an inch.  I'm not used to the new gauge and looked at it wrong.