Some people know how to make the best of times out of the worst of times.
R.W. Reiniger recently wanted to hold an outdoor Tuscan-style pasta party at his summer home in Northville, N.Y., but found that his lawn had been ravaged by the prolonged drought. When your yard looks bad, you have to be creative. All across the country, weird weather patterns are seriously challenging the ingenuity of people who are determined to entertain outdoors no matter what. Both coasts are experiencing severe droughts, with rainfall this year averaging three or more inches below normal, according to the National Weather Service. The problem is just the opposite in the country's midsection, where many yards are drowning in above-average precipitation.