Friday Five

Favorite Five Ways to Pass Rainy Days

It’s been raining here almost all month. And, while I actually love rainy days and thunderstorms, it’s getting old. So for all of you who are dealing with dreary weather, here are some of our favorite ways to pass the days and nights.

1. Play games.

Of course, this leads to long discussions and negotiations because we have lots of games and lots of opinions. For example, the guys favorite game is Killer Bunnies. But I hate a game whose point is to kill the other players’ bunnies and get the magic carrot. But the boys love the cards, which read “chocolate-covered anti-matter raisins.” “Quite irascible refractable cheese balls.” “Highly explosive missile package.” Etc. But before you think I’ve taken the moral high ground, my favorite game is Guillotine, where you collect the heads of executed nobles.

2. Read aloud.

We’re currently reading aloud P. G. Wodehouse. There’s nothing like reading Wodehouse to make you smile. For example:

“I'm not absolutely certain of the facts, but I rather fancy it's Shakespeare who says that it's always just when a fellow is feeling particularly braced with things in general that Fate sneaks up behind him with the bit of lead piping.” 
― P.G. Wodehouse, Carry On, Jeeves

“She looked as if she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say "when". ” 
― P.G. Wodehouse

“Freddie experienced the sort of abysmal soul-sadness which afflicts one of Tolstoy's Russian peasants when, after putting in a heavy day's work strangling his father, beating his wife, and dropping the baby into the city's reservoir, he turns to the cupboards, only to find the vodka bottle empty.” 
― P.G. Wodehouse

3. Stream Masterpiece Theater

We’ve watched Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and now we’re watching Island At War.

4. Hide under the table/bed/desk.

This is what our tough black Lab Jezebel does. She’s terrified of thunder and lightning. In fact, she won’t even come out of her hiding place to eat. So she’s lost a few pounds. Hmm. I wonder if we can market this as a diet plan—The Fabulous Lab Fear Diet. I’m sure there’s a book deal in there somewhere.

5. Hydraulic Cement Your Basement

When it rains this much, the water table rises above the level of the ground. So every crack in your basement begins to seep/trickle/fountain water. But good ole hydraulic cement will cure it. My thought is that it would be quicker and easier to give the whole basement a coat of hydraulic cement, but no one else seems to agree.

If you have any rainy day ideas, I’d love to hear about them.

And now for your Friday fun (which is number 6 on my fun-things-to-do-on-rainy-days list--watch YouTube videos).