Record-Setting Rain

Today was the last day of the month. It rained early this morning with some golf ball-sized hail thrown into the mix.

These days I don't worry too much about hail as long as the Blazer is safe. I certainly don't worry the way I did when the boat took up the entire garage and the Blazer had to stay outside. There were a few crazy times when I parked it in a nearby parking garage and walked home during a thunderstorm, lightning flashing all around me. (Note that I didn't worry about hail thumping my head, only my vehicle). That's how much I fear hail damage.

Now I have room in the garage for the Blazer, but a new worry has replaced the old one. What if the hail crashes through the two skylights? As the hail pounded early this morning, I lay there immobilized, wondering how I would solve such a problem.

Luckily I didn't have to. Instead I went about my day wondering when the rain cloud that has been residing over Wichita might migrate to Death Valley or Phoenix. I tuned into the Weather Channel to see if their meteorologists had any insights regarding when things will start drying out. They shared this: there is a high probability we will get MORE rain tomorrow.

They also shared that our rainfall for this month is 290% times the average for May, with a record 12.8 inches.

It shows - my herb garden is thriving. For the first time this year I harvested some sweet basil to make bruschetta, which was delicious. But I feel as though I live in Panama. It's muggy, sticky, and hot. Not only that, but this evening I discovered more dampness in the basement. The carpet in one corner is soaked.

Sigh. Wet basements, too, are part of the excitement of living on the edge of the city. The very, very wet city.