"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

I think it's flooded.

You can see Uranus with the naked eye this week.

The downpour is supposed to start at 3 a.m. and continue through Sunday. I think I'm ready. I got the barns cleaned, the burn pile is now an ash pile, and I did 11 miles today at a decent clip, a PR for that distance. I wish the race weren't still 10 days away because I think I've peaked. The next non-rain day is Monday and that's a little late to be doing more than "stay loose" shorter runs.

I dropped Pam off at the airport about 4 a.m. and she arrived in Grand Rapids without problem. I'm glad she made it but wish she were here. It's going to be a long week.

It's 8 p.m. and someone just posted a message on the community Facebook page that his wife spotted a cougar crossing their driveway...1/4 mile up Baker Rd. by our mailboxes.
It's not the first cougar sighting in the area, but certainly the closest. I'll be sleeping with one eye open to see if the motion lights down by the barn come on.
Not that I'd know what to do if they did.

++++++++++++
The above was written last night. Then I died, or lost the ability for cogent thought. It's now Thursday morning, I've had at least three cups of coffee and enough food to fill my normal daily intake, so continuing....

I am sore! But as of 10 minutes ago I'm also registered for the Grants Pass Half Marathon. Over three days I did runs of 8, 4, and 11 miles so I feel fairly confident I can do the distance (13.1 mi.) without a problem. And I can now see that Saturday with the 10-day forecast which, as of this morning, calls for a slight possibility of showers and high/low temps of 42 and 62. Good weather for a distance run.

The event hasn't been run the last two years so the most recent results are from 2015. Uhm...this could be interesting. There was only one male runner in my age bracket (60-69) and he ran the half marathon at an 8:20 pace, something I can't even imagine. They had a total of only 53 runners, both male and female, and the last place finisher ran it in 2:42, or a 12:23 pace. My primary goal is to finish without any walking and my secondary (wish list) goal is to finish in under 2:30. Based on yesterday's pace over 11 miles (10:27) I'd finish in 2:17.
I'm gonna need some adrenalin help.

I've thought about getting a T-shirt that's blank on the front and on the back says, "Please, Lord, let there be someone behind me to read this."

The rain was late in arriving but at 9 a.m. it's started. They're still calling for over an inch today and nearly the same amount every day through Sunday. If there's a break I may try to get out for a few miles tomorrow through Tuesday, but today will be spent inside with a fire in the stove.

I realized yesterday that I've lost interest in all professional sports except F1. Like too many celebrities, the majority of athletes seem to be prima donnas who think their salaries and name recognition give them outsized credibility off the field. They are, on average, no smarter or wiser than the guy who's a machinist. He'll give me his opinion on the state of the Union or anything else that's in his craw, but he's got enough sense to understand his influence is not and should not be in greater proportion than the mechanic working down the street.

The #MeToo campaign has put the spotlight on the sexual misbehavior and harassment women endure.
I'm betting we will have moved past this level of awareness before we get to the next award show with the red carpet display of booties and boobs on full display.
"But I should be able to dress however I want without men assuming I want that kind of attention."
Yeah, right. That's a special kind of stupid.

It's now 11 a.m. and I've spent time at the coffee shop and made a run into town. There was something of an emergency here with NO coffee beans of any kind in the cupboard. That catastrophe has been addressed with a trip to Fred Meyer. I've got a fire started so the place should quickly warm up from its current 62 degrees and my plan for the rest of the day involves mostly sitting here close to the stove with a computer on my lap.
Don't judge. I've earned a day of sedentary.