The rumblings began to break through my sleep at about 4:30 AM. Part of my mind was evaluating them even before I fully woke. Loud firecrackers seem to go off year-round in our San Francisco neighborhood. Why I don’t know. Perhaps it’s something of a tradition. Our Chinese roots may be showing here. I don’t know. Anyway, we are accustomed to night explosions. But these were different. More rumblings than bangs.

“Are you awake? Did you hear that?” This from Jane round about 4:45 AM.

“Did you see the flashes?”

No, she hadn’t. But I had. And now I was waiting for the sirens.

Things are generally apocalyptic these days. So I was waiting for the sirens and waiting for the end.

An hour later I was seriously thinking about getting up. And not long after that we did. Jane is very busy Sunday mornings.

“Rain.” Jane slid back the bedroom curtain. Drops were falling. And occasional lightning was flashing.

So it didn’t turn out to be Armageddon, but weather. Weather of a type that is unexpected this time of year, but not astonishing. The odd thing is that these thunderstorms came in the midst of a serious heat spell. There is still a warning for dangerous temperatures today in San Francisco. Yet as I write this, the sky is dark gray, rain is falling intermittently and the temperature is 22°C (72°F). Go figure.

And more important for me, don’t forget the simple fact that these are scary times. An attempted slow-moving coup is underway. It has some supporters, many opponents, and with strength and perseverance it can be stopped. Meanwhile, fear is ever present and ever the enemy. Nothing to do but press on.

A cousin in North London sent me several web links to WebCams around the world. He assured me there was something worthwhile in this, calming and encouraging. So I finally remembered to click on the links and get a look at the Grand Canal in Venice. Not to mention St. Mark’s Square. And there’s a small harbor in Greece. I do see his point. There is a world out there.