Even between cracks of thunder.

I'm not afraid to venture out in thunderstorms. And get all wet in the process. If not electrocuted. My Italian true love calls me another Ben Franklin. The crackpot who flew a kite with a string attached to a key, if I recall correctly. In an experiment to see if he could attract electricity. Anyway, it was my first real thunderstorm in Sardinia. And I wanted to see if it was just as dazzling as the ones we have in Minnesota. It is. I brought along an umbrella with a metal handle. I didn't get shocked. But I got wet. Soaked. Not so much from the pelting rain. But from cars that sped through puddles that sprayed me from stem to stern. The sidewalks in Sardinia are little more than extensions of the roadway. And the drainage ain't good. The Italian city of Genova had a cloudburst last week, and water streamed down the streets in torrents, like a wild river. Six people died. And cars floated down the streets. Many of 'em ending up in gigantic heaps, 15 or 20 feet high. Anyway, atmospheric conditions are such that Italy is getting rained on. From all directions. But that won't keep me from my daily walks of 8 to 10 miles. I'm just back from a 3-mile jaunt, starting when there was a break in the rain. But that didn't last long. And the wind played havoc with my flimsy umbrella. But not with me. I take whatever weather I can get. And make the best of it. Rain is far better than Minnesota snow. And to think, it's November, and hardly jacket weather. I have a swim suit and a raincoat. That should suffice all winter in Sardinia. Makes me feel blessed. Even between cracks of thunder and lightning. --Jim Broede