Rain

Precipitation is vital to life. We all need water, that is simple. It can rain, sleet, hail, snow, monsoon and hurricane. Water falls and flows downhill, basic physics, gravity and all, you know.
Growing up in an arid high plain technically classified as a desert, and then living in a coastal town, I thought I had seen rain.
It has rained on us here, too, before yesterday.
But, in Hamsterville, it would take all day long to drop up to an inch of rain. In the high dry place it would rarely rain long and or hard.
I saw east coast weather in its glory.
It rained. Oh boy did it rain.
I can't find a good total from a web source, but a quick look at an hour by hour rain gauge looks like better than three inches in a 24 hour period. It came down.
Poni held it in all day. There was no way she wold do anything. I happened to take her out between systems and she RAN to perform her necessaries. And again this AM she RAN do take care of her business.
K and I went out to eat and then shopping for a bit. Walking into the store it was notraining. After about 5 minutes in the store and gentle roaring sound started to compete with the ever present '70s muzak all stores play here. The muzak stopped and the pounding of the rain on the roof was impossible to ignore. Even the store clerk who took our cash for goods thought we were nuts for being out in this weather. She voiced a longing for home and warm soup and a comfy couch.

Whilst out and about accomplishing errands long overdue, I was driving along a street where the rain water system had been hopelessly overwhelmed.
In my youth, as a passenger, I was thought that driving through a puddle of standing water could be fun, look at that rooster tail from the Maverick as it flies down the road. But I was also introduced to hydroplaning and wet brake pads.
I witnessed some nice hydroplaning from young men, mostly, who thought that rooster tail was the sign of high verility in the ever nauseating mating ritual of the testosterone hyper. It is interesting to see a big 4x4 pickup slide sideways in a deep puddle of water.
Then I hit a puddle that was deeper than it looked. I went to hit my brakes and got nothing.
I have never experienced wet brakes before. It gave my heart that little shot of adrenaline and I calmly pumped the brakes, like your driver's ed teacher told you, and got stopping power.
The tide was out as I got closer to home, otherwise I am sure the road would have been impassable and I would have had to go around and take the higher road approach.
This morning, you can see the grass is bent in the direction of the run off from the yard. Can you say erosion?
I love weather, I always have, always will, I hope. But K had warned me of the east coast rain. I thought I had seen it. K told me that this particular weather system was about typical for NY. Oh boy!


On another note.
It became more of a reality yesterday as well. I opened an east coast bank account, licensed my truck and got insurance. I start work next week. I am here, it is real and happening in a big way.
The adventure continues...
C