The parade of storms has continued unabated with brief glimpses of
sun for a ever-so-brief period in between.  I have been told that
the drought is officially over for coastal California although I
understand the southern part of the state is still in it's grip.
Whatever it may be, weather patterns the world over have been
changing and shifting far beyond even the scientific community's
expectations and so-called computer models.  Record warm
temperatures in the arctic yet record cold in the temperate regions
have left the "experts" dumbfounded.  For us at a local level, we
have had good rains and I might even venture to reactivate our deep
well to see if recovery has improved.  

Difficult decisions are looming on the horizon.  We have
thoroughly enjoyed our tryst will country living, but we are now
faced with some harsh realities.  Caring for an elderly loved one
presents tremendous challenges as well as great opportunities in a
spiritual sense.  Living far removed from medical facilities is
not a good situation when you are caring for the elderly.
Being an hour away from the closest hospital is not the best
situation to be in.  There is an ambulance service available in
the valley, but obviously response times are going to be protracted
when the service is volunteer based.  My own health challenges have
called into question our reasoning to remain in this area.  So, we
are now studying our options.

In the retro gadget department, an Ebay purchase of a 60's model
KL-1 Russian circular slide rule has arrived (USD $12):

http://sliderulemuseum.com/Circular/C10_Soviet_KL1_th.jpg

Although I have just started working with the device, I am amazed
at the elegant simplicity at about the same size as a pocket watch.
I am going to practice with it for some time to see if I can get
results to three significant figures like a standard slide rule.
The advantage of the circular rule is you can never go off scale.

More to come...