Atmospheric River

It has finally arrived. It has been raining on and off for days but the news is full of dire predictions for days. It has been unclear when to expect it  or just how much rain it would be but the best news must be bad news because the words 'life threatening' and 'don't drive' and 'don't drown turn around' have been bandied about. 

It was dark and raining when I crawled out of bed at 7 this morning, so I went back to bed. A tepid daylight revealed rain as did a wet dog poking his wet nose in my face. Settled with my coffee and the paper the dire predictions were still there but the rain looked like   'normal' rain. I was tempted not to go to the Pilates studio, but it was barely raining so I left, even taking the route that runs beside the creek which was pretty muddy and full but not overflowing. The 'vortex' they worked on all summer with earth movers and huge cement pipes seemed to be working, whatever it does.

A woman in Pilates class told me that the heavy rain wasn't due until afternoon and she was right. It picked up as I was struggling with mixed messages from the DMV and a recalcitrant printer, got heavier as John's weekly beer with his friend Dan at Trail House was postponed because their power was out, and is now coming down quite assertively as darkness falls.

According to news reports they are worried about burn scar areas and 'even the smallest creeks'. We qualify on both counts but so far there have been no landslides and no flooding. I'm sure the news will feature some poor reporter standing out in the pouring rain, ankle deep in flood water telling us :
a) that it is raining, and
b) that we are still in a drought

A note on the DMV website informed us not to drive and encouraged us to do our business online. I decided to give it a try, even though the letter I received said I had to come in, take a 'knowledge test' a vision test and have my picture and fingerprints taken. My money has been accepted, I have been issued a temporary driving license and informed that my permanent one will arrive in the mail in 4-6 weeks. 

I'm not sure I believe them....