Flooding rains

Reflecting on the storms that buffered us yesterday, I was so happy that I was home. I hate to be away from home - specifically at work - during heavy storms. I enjoy listening to the rain run off the roof. I especially like to stay in bed when the storms are raging. That’s the best sleeping time for me. Unfortunately I had too many things to do that kept me up and running.

We were lucky that they finally dissipated after a while. We have a reverse 9-1-1 system here, and about 10:30 I got the call about flooding on some of our streets. There are areas here that become impassible when we get a moderate rain. We have a bayou about a half mile that has been known to come out of its banks. The last time, the houses on the street behind us had up to about three feet of water in them.

As much as I like the rain,. I do also worry. There has been a lot of work to help drainage. It had not been a problem until the last fifteen years. There has been so much development above us that there is no place for the water to go. Everything that was a watershed is now concrete. Holding ponds have been created, but I don’t know if they are doing any good.

I really needed to run several errands, the grocery store being chief among them, but I was afraid if I left the house I would not be able to get back home. It appeared we were going to be spared more rain, but I couldn’t be sure. Even though my street is normally passable, I am surrounded by streets that become impassible.

Other than the normal reasons for being able to get home, I can’t be gone for more than three hours because, alas, Simone has a urinary track infection. She let us know that Sunday. We would let her out to "do her business" before we left the house, and she would leave us a gift in the entry hall. She also left a spot of blood. So we went to the vet Monday. So she gets her pills three times a day with her liverwurst. She loves them.

Still even with the problems that the rain can bring, I really enjoyed being at home with the storms raging around me. Today I get to be out in the wonderful steam bath we call Houston after a big rain. The air drapes you like the proverbial wet blanket!