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| One of my Irish cousins, however, was hell-bent on going to happy hour. You know how sometimes you're texting and it seems as if no one is reading it? COME HELL OR HIGH WATER A TEXT MESSAGE PLAY |
SETTING: We are in a small SUV on the main floor
of a parking garage overlooking a large
sports medicine facility and small football
field. It is raining hard and COUSIN 1 is
soaking wet from the rain and a swim.
COUSIN 2 is on the opposite side of town
babysitting in a suburban home.
The time is 5:01 pm.
COUSIN 1
Holy crap, it's coming down.
COUSIN 2
(no response)
COUSIN 1
Been out in this all afternoon and it's supposed to keep up all night so am going home right now.
COUSIN 2
(no response)
COUSIN 1
Let me know if you want to reschedule on a nicer day.
(The time is 5:48 pm and the west side of town is a disaster. )
COUSIN 2
Holy shit there is flooding everywhere. It's even flooding on the roads going uphill. This is crazy.
(Cousin 2 is forced to pull her mid-sized sedan into a gas station. )
COUSIN 2
Go ahead without me or should we reschedule?
COUSIN 1
I think ur nuts for thinking you could go at all.
COUSIN 2
I've never experienced this in my entire life.
(BLACKOUT)
(END OF SCENE)
The conversation continued like this for an hour with me texting route closings which seemed to go unread and then something about gummy bears and a "Grandma Bag." Three hours later I get a text saying they were still at the bar.
I can only guess "we" meant another lunatic cousin was there with her. There are so many flooded streets in this city right now I'd need a print out of road closures to leave the east side. I'm avoiding the west side like a lab avoids down time.
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| Taught him a trick called, "Drink Water" because he refused to stop playing long enough to drink water |
My cousin's parents and mine lived in this neighborhood for years. The last rainfall total put the city at more than 11 inches with parts of the county getting 13 inches in 24 hours. It doesn't seem right to say we got a foot of rain.
This is the same area a tornado blew through while my mother still lived there.
Being a paranoid worry wort who expects a tornado, car accident or shooting at any given time has its advantages and kept me close to home yesterday. So I'll be adding, "rain" to my list of growing neuroses.
If you click on this link, the bottom video on the right is where my cousin was.
If you click on this link, the bottom video on the right is where my cousin was.
Oh my goodness, that’s awful rain and scary too. The sunflowers are sure pretty though.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty awful and the road closing list is longer than three of you, Brian.
Deleteoh my good God....
ReplyDeletewe moved to Denver because people said it was dry so we thought no mosquitos no mosquito pesticide spraying. Well it rains. It rains at leas 3-4 times a week. It's boggy. It's not dry where we live in Aurora.
I am a fellow paranoid, anticipate the worst so you can avoid it kind of gal myself. The sunflowers are awesome, so is the kooky cousin. Stay dry, as dry as a lab never wants to be.
I remember it raining in Manitou and Colorado Springs then clearing up right away. Three or four times a week IS excessive. We lost Roscoe this year but he would be forever in a lake if it were up to him, sweet, crazy boy.
DeleteI had decided to stay on this side of town yesterday but am over right where the insane flooding was (is) all the time and very well could have been.
Yes, the cousin after all that STILL went out.
Please be careful out there, Jeanna. I read that you have a warning till tomorrow morning. I'm taking this is not normal. Shudder. I thank you for interspersing the horrible with your calming photos of lovely, lovely sunflowers. It's working for me. I had to laugh about the "Still raining" comment. I've had that said to me.
DeleteOh do we, I'll have to look, I got a little anxious from the news today and turned it off. I mean the way that guy died, shit, could have been my old man. Nooo, not normal, I mean we have spots that flood unexpectedly while it's barely drizzling close by but everything was unrecognizable.
DeleteI believe rainfall records were broken in the city and county, someone claimed by where I get my shoes they got more than 15 inches. There's never been a drowning victim due to flooding here before.
I need to take my mother to the dentist tomorrow and had to ask how bad it was on that street. It's near the only place on this side of town they had to close off.
With your rains, our fires and high temps, volcano in Hawaii, tornadoes and hurricanes, I sometimes wonder if we're at the start of a humdinger of a natural disaster movie. I hope we're the ones who are alive at the end of the movie.
DeleteOh for sure, greenhouse gasses and climate change and I hope the deniers are the first to go while we end up with Paul Newman and Steve McQueen sipping cocktails and grazing on shrimp. Just my luck though I'd be upside down swimming to the top of the ship with Shelley Winters finding out how long I can hold my breath under water. We're getting smoke here from somewhere, or at least haze. Is Canada on fire?
DeleteI loved that scene of Shelley WInters. For once, I felt good about being a chub-chub who could swim like a dolphin. Have no idea about Canada, but I wonder if the smoke of all Western fires have blown your way.
DeleteI found an article that said it was from the NW United States and southern Canada. Ha, about the chub-chub.
DeleteI don't like flooding at all. Here we are having wildfires. Don't like them either.
ReplyDeleteHave a happy Tuesday. :)
If only we could combine them, Sandee.
DeleteGreat photos, I love sunflowers.
ReplyDeleteThese were a little limp, Pilch, but I was happy someone took up the Sunflower mantle.
DeleteThat sounds awful we get flooding here occasionally but not in London thankfully
ReplyDeleteHave a tanffastic week :-)
I went to two ponds today and got some wild photos, but two of my favorite routes are still closed from Monday. Funny, one of them flooded last winter too. OMG, can you imagine London? I saw an episode of The Crown when they had that huge fog crisis maybe in the fifties?
DeleteI love sunflowers! One time my SIL and I were driving somewhere and we passed by a sunflower field and we just looked at each other and, without a word, she immediately pulled over. We just had to get out and get close and take pictures. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's great when that happens, they didn't have the usual Sunflower Days in town but these guys stepped up. Of course they charged and the sunflowers looked a bit sad, but I'm glad they did it.
DeleteI love sunflowers, except for a neighbor's which is right by the tail end of their driveway. I can't see the cars coming because of them. You captured some great photos of them. I like the one with the wagon.
ReplyDeleteIt's been stormy where I'm at as well.
Ohhh, that's dangerous, Alissa, I wonder if you could bring them a freshly backed pie and ask them to cut it? Yah, they had all these Radio Flyers available, it was cool.
DeleteAwesome sunflower photos and love the great photo of the sweet lab doggie!
ReplyDeleteHappy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Thanks, he was a lunatic but very loving and loyal. I guess that describes a dog. I miss him very much.
DeleteAnd all we've got in sunny Southern California is sun and higher than normal temps and humidity! No rain for months! Lots of sweat though...
ReplyDeleteSweat or sweets? We had that hot heaty hotness and I do not miss it one bit. I took a little flood tour today and dang. Roads still closed two days later. Garages extra busy, so many cars towed and flooded houses. Lots of carpet cleaning trucks. I hope you've got breathable air and no fires your way, K.
Deletewhat a funny post with nice photos. ps. you linked wrong at Wordless Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhh sheeeeettt, you know that feeling that you left something on or running or unlocked or open? I had that feeling yesterday, ack.
DeleteGREAT post Jeanna! You had me laughing out loud.
ReplyDeleteAlso some great photos!
By the way, what is this stuff you call "rain." I have no memory of the last time it rained here. I wish it would, because everything seems to be on fire.
You and ol' Spare Parts are such dessert rats, lol. Haaaa, "everything seems to be on fire," is it down by you as well? I know you're at least getting the smoke and I hope you're safe from the fire.
DeleteI take that as a compliment! We both really love it out there.
DeleteThere is one about 20 miles currently, and have had several closer to us. We are safe though!
I meant it as a compliment, you're two of my favorite people I don't really know. Both very talented photographers and knowledgeable adventurers. Oh no, that's way too close. I hope your lungs aren't getting messed up.
DeleteThanks for including the link, that is lot of rain!
ReplyDeleteYeah, a foot of snow we're used to, but...I don't think I know the half of it cuz they keep coming up with reports from nearby towns and communities I didn't realize were affected. I guess where there was water from lakes, rivers, ponds or streams, there's a lot more water now.
DeleteI've been to Ireland...gotta love the Irish!!
ReplyDeleteTake care during this crazy weather.
- Lisa
I had a chance to go with the cousins and an aunt but went to NYC instead. I think it's going to rain again on Friday so yeah, not good but this side of town had very little to deal with, one closed road as far as I know.
DeleteThat is a lot of rain! Love love your sunflower shots.
ReplyDeleteTa, Fi, more on the way and from the looks of it, soon.
DeleteGreat sunflowers! Is that a cousin hiding in the midst?!! It's too windy at my house to grow them, but I sure wish I could. Love the cousins' scene.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I thought they looked past peak and kind of dry but maybe that's in comparison to the regular sunflower display. Too windy, really, they seem like a sturdy flower but I've never attempted it, I kill all flowers.
DeleteNo, ha, a lady was towing a little girl in a wagon and making two older girls pose in the flowers, I thought it was funny.
Crazy I haven't h heard anything about the flooding in your area. All eyes must be focused on Hawaii! Glad you are safe! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteIt's made it's way to this side of town and they've closed more roads today. A pretty major one over here and trying to manage the nearby locks (dam). Facebook has an Are You Safe? check-in and something called, "The Flooding Across Dane County, Wisconsin, USA."
DeleteThe flooding here and area communities are the top news stories, but video from Hawaii comes right after.
the sun flowers are very pretty it's hard to imagine how the weather can change so dramatically #keepingitreal
ReplyDeleteIt's been consistent this week, but looking forward to no rain and drying out soon.
DeleteOh good lord. I'm glad I'm reading backwards, so that I know you survived ... this post mighit have panicked me just reading it. We need rain so badly here in the West -- it never seems like it is well distribiuted.
ReplyDeleteI'm answering comments backwards so it seems to be working out well for both of us.
DeleteLuck, luck, luckity, luck, lucky is all I can say. I could have easily been in any of the places that flooded and gotten stuck, lost my only car, apartment or worse. No flood damage on this street that I know of although I'm betting the storage room in the basement is soaked but that's not unusual.
Hi Jeanna, sunflowers certainly brighten up a rainy day, but what you had sounds a little more extreme! I can't think of a better time to swim though, in for a penny, in for a pound! It is so sad that someone lost their life, it just shows how disorientating bad weather can be. Your cousins were right to reschedule (or to try to at least).
ReplyDeleteThank you for linking up with #keepingitreal.
xx
Yah, it was and is extreme, just not for me personally. Swim in an indoor pool, yes, but my days of street swimming are long gone now that I know about all the debris that washes into the road. Blech, I won't swim in an outdoor pool after a good rain let alone this lunacy.
DeleteIt is a horrible thing and you can say two lives were saved, but, awful business.
Oh noooo, they didn't reschedule and my 80-year-old aunt got stuck in it, had to hitchhike home in a monsoon and wait until 4 am (at home at least) for them to call her back about a tow. Glad she didn't go back there to stay with her car as AAA told her to.