We got a LOT of rain on July 2. It came down so fast and so hard, it was a mess to drive on streets that are normally no problem in normal rain. There were flood warnings, and a bit south of us they had a lot of hail. Mom says they had enough to need shovels.

I drove home and found my car acting like a boat, just pushing water in big sprays on either side. It was hard to turn onto our side street. I remembered Brian going out there and clearing the street drain in the past. He was not home so I realized it was my turn.

For the record, I’m NOT a nature girl. I’d rather be inside or on a porch than out. I am all about open windows in house and car as much as possible, but I don’t like getting dirty or sunburned or wet. I also have a very strong aversion to being splashed with water. Not a good combination when you have to go out in a serious downpour!

I put on wool socks (they stay warm in wet) and my chaco sandals which are made to withstand wet conditions. I put on layers of light wool and my best raincoat (I know I looked a sight) and a thick wool felt beret to protect my head, and I went out.

As I walked around the house between our lot and the neighbor’s drive, I was in at least two inches of standing water. Houses are so close together in our area that there is nowhere for water to drain, pretty much.

I got to the corner with my small spade, and dragged the tool along the street next to the curb until I found the drain. I started pushing against the water to get leaves and sticks out of the way. It was almost instant, there was a sort of water-tornado like when you flush a toilet, and that water was SO happy to go down that drain!

By the time I went back to work less than an hour later, the street was wet but there was no longer water several inches deep on the street. It worked!

I am glad that when I had to go out and get that wet, it was a bit warmer than room temperature. I did not get cold, just wet. I dried out pretty quickly. I didn’t even get grumpy, though I was definitely entertained by it for a while.

I hope everyone out there did not have disappointing after-effects from this storm. I guess if I can look at it well, I did not have to water the gardens Wednesday!!!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 11:40 pmand is filed under Lansing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.