Rain, rain, go away

Or, actually, don't. Just calm down.

We have now entered the summer weather months--better known as Summer Weather Months. Since moving to Texas I have been startled repeatedly at how HUGE a topic weather is during its season (much like high school football during the late summer and autumn months). Weather is NEWS: but given the possibility of sudden hail, thunderstorms, flooding, and tornedos, I sort of understand now.

Last night my evening class was interrupted by the tornedo siren, so my class of 8 and I trooped downstairs to the basement from the third floor (good exercise) to wait in large open area with all other faculty and students for the mysterious signal that we could return aboveground. Before and after that, my students were distracted by the rapidly darkening sky, the thrashing treetops, and the thunder. Oh, and lashing rain.

By the time we left class about 9 pm, the rain had trickled down to almost nothing. Which was good, because I had to park a good walk from the building. I don't fear muggers, but rain? Yikes. I've lived in Texas long enough.

I had to drive to the grocery store for catfood after, oh well, so saw the streets puddled up. And I mean "puddled": the kind of standing water that makes huge slices of water when you drive through, no matter how slowly you proceed. And most people just bullet through, which is how you ruin your brakes, get stranded in flooding, and soak walkers (who are, after all, on their own simply because they walk, which makes them fair game here in the Lone Star State where walking is practically a crime and certainly a sign of slight mental derangement... unless you are power walking--ok, now I am wound up on that topic! Stay focused, here).

Everyone has a weather story: a flooding story, a tornedo story, a hail story. Stranded, stuck, struck.

The upside is that the a.c. can be turned off, the ozone smells strongly in the air, the thunder rumbles distantly, and I sleep really, really well. Which is how I am pretty certain I will wake up in Oz without realizing it.

Pearl

Note: image from Saskatchewan, another photographer; couldn't find any good images of DFW rain