Singin' and Dancin' in the rain

It   rained in Southern California. It didn't just rain, it was a torrential downpour, running off the packed dirt and flooding streets in minutes.  The outside temp. was 80 degrees.

 My yard was a casualty , all drains clogged with leaves and debris turning it into a giant rain basin. I sloshed out there with a shovel and bucket, scooping up leaves off the drains one at a time. The yard water swirled delightedly like a huge toilet but there was so much water draining into the flooded street, the yard took a while to empty . I kept eyeing the back doors wondering how much water was getting into the house to add to the interior problems we already had.

In the midst of this, the plumber had been summoned to rescue me from my leaking shower which has warped my floors and I've had a gaping hole in the bathroom wall with plastic hanging out of it to catch any other drips until it could be repaired.

 My plumber is too familiar with this old house . He found me standing in the midst of my flooded yard with the Captain, both of us wet to the core and the rain not letting up. He offered to help me with the yard drains, but I had pretty much succeeded in clearing them. The patio gutter began to over flow as we stood there and, as if on cue, it dumped 10 gallons of stagnant roof water and dead bugs on my head in a cascading waterfall - I was in utter disbelief and caught off guard.

 Plumber Eric couldn't help but laugh. I was a sight. He asked if I was all right.

 The horror of having nasty rain water dumped on me was almost my undoing. My playing in the rain came to an abrupt end as I stood there spluttering and spitting out wet tree blooms.

 My plumber said he had to turn off the water to the house to work on the bathroom. I begged him to give me 10 minutes to shampoo my hair and bathe Captain who was also saturated with the roof run off. He said I couldn't use the shower though and would have to wait a couple of hours until he was done.

 Heck, I've got a shower in the back yard. Standing in puddles swimming over my flip flops, in the pouring rain, I took a record breaking shower, shampooed my dog and all done in 5 minutes. Plumber said, "You've done this before". Yup! About a hundred times!

Eric complemented me on our expedited cleanup but knowing he was charging me by the hour, I was highly motivated and he probably a little disappointed!

The shower is repaired. The floors are still a little warped. The yard is draining and cleaner than its been in years, and its hot again. The rain gutter is cleared out and functional, waiting for the next downpour.

 First day of fall will be welcomed at 100 degrees and it already looks like its never rained here .

I'll wait patiently during this epic drought for the next opportunity to be "Singin' and Dancin'  in the rain!" ....and I'll stay clear of the gutters!