Little problems

It's raining.

Again.

This is our second wet spring after a number of years of drought. And, while I am not sure the aquifers have all "caught up," our lakes are full and some of our parks flooded. I've seen the flooded fields so my prayers for dry aren't in conflict with farmer prayers for rain.

Weather forecasts show rain for later today and tomorrow and all next week.

Early this morning I was surprised to wake up to silence. There was no thunder in the distance and no drum of rain on the roof. It was not too early, but a perfect time to walk so I check the radar (there was a break in the action - 30 minutes?),  made coffee, and prepared to head to the park with Padimus.

Poor girl. Her only walks have been from the yard to the house and back as we bring her inside during the lightning and thunder boomers. She is "afeared" of noise and storms can be too much. If left in the yard, she won't be there long.* These days of thunderstorms cannot be any fun for her. What happened to sweet gentle spring rain?

So I grabbed a cup of coffee and a reflective belt and headed down the street with my companion.

We made it a block before I could see the flicker of distant lightning. A few gusts of wind indicated something was coming. We made it another block and the rumble of thunder told us the rain was closer.

On this part of the walk we are sheltered under oak and pecan trees that extend over the sidewalk. The shade provided on a sunny day is priceless. And today they sheltered us from the storm that broke around us in a rustle of leaves as plump drops fought their way to the ground.

We arrived back in the kitchen to a DH joking. He had planned to join us in the walk and did not make it out of the yard. Seeing our bobbing lights** headed back as the rain began, he turned around and got credit for the attempt.

Paddy is sleeping at my feet. DH and I are drinking coffee and watching the news.***

Letting a sleeping dog lie (Don't look at my dirty carpet!)

There's still time to walk after breakfast if that last wave of rain will blow through. But nothing happens on "our time." 

NOTES:

*I caught her yesterday as she attempted an escape. She was hidden from view in the "secret passageway" - a tunnel between the fence and a shed where she can dig in secret - and she was not responding to my call.

**We have these fabulous runners' lights we attach to the leash.

*** The storms keep blowing up to our west. "Redevelopment" they call it.


FINAL NOTE:

Continuing the "gratitude" series - I am grateful that we are not expected to see the kind of rain that caused killer floods last Memorial Day weekend. Flooding on Memorial Day seems to happen with regularity, but last year was indescribable. God bless all.