Wildflowers

If it weren't for Pilates classes, I might have turned to stone by now. It is still raining despite the fact that I keep thinking , ' this has to be the last day...' The sun actually looked like it was about to come out when I left for class this morning at 7:40, but by the time class was over it  was cloudy and cold again. 

I was determined to get a shot of the wildflowers in our field despite the rain. The grass is already fairly tall and will eventually take over the wildflowers. I managed to get thoroughly wet lying prone on the ground at flower height, but the flowers were cheerful and perky....

Bob brought his friend Mamadou to class this morning. Mamadou and his wife, Andrea, have been hit by both fire and flood in the last two years. He works for the Starks, who own and operate several good restaurants in town, including our favorite Will's wine Bar which burned down in the Tubbs fire. The Starks were really good about finding a place for all their employees to work in one of their other restaurants. 

Andrea owns Tamarind, a clothing boutique in The Barlow in Sebastopol which I used to enjoy visiting. The Barlow is right on  the Laguna de Santa Rosa,  a flat plain between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. The management of the Barlow had a city approved system of flood gates but apparently no concept for how long it would take to deploy them. Tamarind was filled with 5 feet of water and, since there had been no notification that they should do so, none of the merchandise was removed from the store. I don't think they will be renewing their lease there.

Matt and Amy's friend Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty today in a college bribery scandal involving a number of Hollywood celebrities and other people with money. I don't know how her husband Bill (William H.) Macy avoided implication, but I suppose he didn't sign any checks. They're both nice people, but I think when you know money talks, and you have a lot of it, maybe you just don't think of consequences. Or maybe it just doesn't occur to you that there will be consequences.

Thanks Miranda 1008 for getting me outside despite the gloomy weather today!