We had buckets of it yesterday. Between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. we had over an inch. It overwhelmed storm drains in San Francisco and flooded streets. Over at my house it came down so hard, I was able to photograph the drops coming down.
It over-ran the gutters on the street and filled the parking strip.
I considered - for a fleeting moment - pulling the car up into the driveway, but decided against venturing out into the downpour in my robe and slippers (home sick from work) and the rain eventually subsided without flooding the car or floating it down the street.
Don't get me wrong now, I'm happy to see the rain. We've been in drought mode here for many years. The garden loves it. It's cozy to stay inside and watch it come down. But yesterday's rainstorm, which followed so quickly on the tail of last week's epic storm, really taxed the system. Last week, Conan O'Brien poked fun at Californians (you have to sit through a short advertisement at this link) as precipitation phobics. I suppose we are a bit. Our fears are well founded, though. This October's rainfall total is already five times seasonal normal. Fire-ravaged hills tend to slide in rainy weather, and I can remember several rainy seasons when even the non-ravaged hills slipped. Our arid soil can only absorb so much water, and then whoosh! there it goes. So pardon us, Mr. East Coast, if we get a little nervous when it rains, especially with an early and fierce start to the rainy season.
But it does give me an opportunity to get caught up on my knitting. So we say yes to rain! Just not too much, please.
