Saturday, May 30, 2015

May 29, 2015

From Stunning Clouds 
to Heavy Rains
May 29, 2015



Early in the morning I took care of things in the yard.  I actually had not gone in the backyard for three days and the feeders, ponds, and birdbaths needed attention.  I spent 30 working in the yard and watered all of the potted plants before going in the house to take the last of the trash out to the street since it was trash pick-up day.  As I went out the garage door, there was a stunning cloud formation off to the east.  Naturally, I went back in for my camera.
Across our side street the clouds above our neighbor's house
On the weather radar there was a rain storm headed toward us from the west, but it was weakening as it headed our way and I was not sure we would end up with any rain.  I took my shower and did a few household chores before returning to the sewing room.  Looking out, the blue sky that had been the backdrop for those stunning clouds earlier was completely covered with gray clouds.
Rain at the office - looking down the street from our office
It was time to go to work but I debated waiting to see if we got the heavy winds that were predicted.  I decided to go on to the office and as I pulled the car out of the garage, a few raindrops started to fall.  I think the rain storm from the west collided with the clouds from the east and we were in the middle.  By the time I got to the office, it was raining very hard.  We did not get the heavy winds or possible hail, but we got just over 1 3/4 inches of rain in about an hour.
Water up to the bottom of our step on the side street
The corner by our office tends to flood.  It has always been that way and probably always will be.  Some of the things the city has tried have made matters worse, but the most recent "fix" has helped a tiny bit.  The side street still quickly floods, but the street in front, doesn't flood as rapidly.  By no means is it fixed to deal with rains like Dallas has had, but the amount we had with the morning rains just brought water to the bottom of the step, not the top of the step.
 Some drivers seem to love to rinse the bottom of their cars
Not a lot was accomplished during the morning.  Our customers rarely want to wade through the water to get to our business.  Those that do, often send waves of water into the showroom, so we would prefer they wait until the water goes down.

Ron had several errands to take care of for his mother and spent a lot of time in and out over the afternoon taking care of those.  I took care of customers and sewed.  I was experimenting with a new pattern and had a good time.  In no way was it perfect, but I like the outcome of the block.  For this project I am using batik fabrics and attempting to created a stained glass look in the blocks.  I finished one at the office and one during the evening at home.
New quilt squares I am working on
The Championship playoff game for our grandson was rained out and has been rescheduled for Monday evening.  They had hoped for Saturday morning, but not enough boys on either team could make it.  We went to supper with my mom.  I picked her up at 5:15 and we went to Jason's Deli.  It was quieter than usual.  I think the TV was turned down.  We had  a good visit and good food.
A few more morning cloud photos
During the day I had exchanged texts with our son and daughter-in-law in the Dallas area.  Both of them had to go to work.  My daughter-in-law has a long drive to work, but said all went well considering the approximately 8 inches of rain they had received over night.  During the evening I talked to our daughter-in-law in New Mexico.  They are having to replace their car and she has been busy shopping for a good newer used car.  They think they have found what they need.

With my Cochlear Implant, the sound processor shuts down when the noises around it are very loud.  Sometimes my sneezes can do that; sometimes the thunder can cause it to shut down.  The shut down is usually about 2 seconds unless the loud sound is prolonged.  The thunder did it a couple of time during the morning.

Rain continues to be in our forecast but there have been few flooding problems around town.  There are areas that always flood and people know that and avoid those areas.  Once the rain is over, things usually drain fairly quickly.  I am surprised that Dallas is not pumping water out of the flooded underpasses as they do in this area.  Our area continues to be beautiful following all the rains.  There are blooms of every type and color all over town.  It does get hard to time the mowing between the rains.  I need to do the backyard this weekend.

No comments:

Post a Comment