“It ain’t a fit night out for man nor beast"

[grrlgeek]

I had a nail-biting two-hour drive home today during rush hour here in sunny southern California. Evidently, there was a "storm warning," and my house was pretty close to the doomed epicenter. Traffic and weather reports fixated on this tempest for the better part of an hour, warning of flash floods, tornadoes, 70mph winds, hail, pestilence, and probably spontaneous hangnails, too. I had to turn it off as I pondered the fate of my fledgling garden.

Okay, so I got home and though the streets had long since dried, I could tell it had rained. In fact, we got a nice downpour and all the dirt was dark and wet and the plants thanked me for not watering this morning so they could get the most out of the magic rain. I guess there was a puddle of some sort in an intersection during the deluge, and a traffic light was out near an offramp; causing slowing (at the same place it slows to a crawl EVERY day because people don't know how to merge).

What is WRONG with people who report the news in southern California? The rest of the country is digging out of the worst winter they've seen in a long while - actual weather, real rain, and snow! Here in paradise we go on Death Storm Watch every time a cloud forms. Still, to bolster the veracity of the doom and gloom radio reports, my kitchen reeked like wet dog, and the youngest husky had been trenching another pathway to China next to the greenhouse. Glad that pavers are on sale again this weekend. I need to reinforce the perimeter!

In Arizona, they have a fabulous Stupid Motorist Law that says if you drive into a puddle during a flash flood, and need help getting out, you are going to be billed for the services to rescue your pathetic self. At least their floods are real.

Sheesh.

[webmaster]

Yeah... it was similar in NorCal when I lived there. People would drive recklessly in it. Fifteen years ago I used to drive past a high falutin' prep school in Santa Fe, NM on my way to work and almost every day in the winter someone in their Mercedes SUV would slide into a telephone pole. Many folks in Santa Fe are from somewhere else I guess, so they don't know to respect the snow.

On the East Coast people are a little smarter about weather but there are still some wild drivers. What do they call it? Oh yeah... Defensive driving. I brake for idiots.

[Ohio Tiller]

We had that here in Ohio Monday night. 4 inches of rain in less than 30 minutes Hail, wind, lighting, funnel clouds, flooding, homes flooded. Interstate shut down cars floating it was a wild night for sure! Made me glad to know I live on high ground.