Today was the day for the Chinese NY parade here in San Francisco. I noticed the San Francisco Chronicle headline this morning was that 'weather could disrupt the parade'. It was good to see a later report that 'rain can't stop the parade'. "Rats were king at the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco on Saturday night, as crowds of people turned out to celebrate the animal known for its witty, generous and cunning behavior. And rats are quick".
I was musing on the organization that goes on behind the scenes to design the 100 entries and 27 floats on the parade route. It appeared that hearing the weather forecast "Many participants have spent the last few days waterproofing their floats and costumes for the parade." I wonder if organizations have been categorized by their Chinese year characteristics? Maybe that's a topic for my next book. It seems that the parade designers took on the rat characteristics as they adapted plans to meet conditions.
Naomi Stanford 