Rain

With a tropical storm bearing down on us, I've had this Beatles song stuck in my head all day. Everything has closed early and I just finished an eight-hour shift of essay scoring. The rain and wind have been waxing and waning, as is the case in tropical storms and hurricanes, but for the past few hours, mostly waxing. I have the local news/weather on right now, and it seems that perhaps the western side of the state will not be hit as hard as had been expected, and maybe that means we won't be either. We really did need the rain, but the problem with this kind of rain is that it comes down so hard and fast that it doesn't really have a chance to sink in when the ground is so dry. This morning, my street was a river; a few minutes ago I peeked out and saw a family of ducks enjoying the road. The morning's river had drained off; a new one is forming with the most recent heavy rain.

It's been quite some time since I've heard such a fuss about weather here. I guess last year was a tame storm season, and I read this morning that this year is supposed to be a "normal" season. I'm unplugged (on my laptop) but I've had enough technology for today. I fear that my power may go out, which is no big deal. Our local power company has already said the greatest risk is overnight tonight, and the company won't try to fix anything until the winds die down. I have water, coffee, and tea. I have peanut butter and bread. I may not have gourmet meals without electricity (although I can make coffee if I want to with my camping coffeemaker -- it plugs in to the AC outlet in the car) but I'll survive "when the rain comes. Rain -- I don't mind."