By: Elizabeth Redhead Kriston
Two weeks ago I scraped, washed, and swept my front porch steps and rails in preparation to give them a much needed fresh coat of paint. Much like spring cleaning the house, I like to get the exterior looking bright and shiny for upcoming warm days and nights ahead. All I needed to do was wait for two dry days so the concrete and wood could dry enough for painting.
I’m still waiting.
Rain and storms have been in the forecast for weeks and there is no break in sight. Sure, we see the sun for moments at a time in the day. Just long enough to heat up the volatile atmosphere to create severe thunderstorms and torrential downpours. My dogs are in a permanent state of fear.
I think we see less sun in the warm months than the cold ones. I had to unpack the vitamin D pills I stashed away for next winter. You’d think I would have learned that by now. I guess I am forever hopeful that this year we will have more sunny days.
Last year I didn’t even bother to paint the porches. There was never a fine enough day to clean them off before the humid Summer days arrived ensuring that any paint I applied would never dry no matter how long the rain might hold off.
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| Brian Brettschneider |
Since moving here, I've found myself boasting, “Western PA has more rainy days than Seattle.” That, is in fact, not true. But, we are a close second. The landscape of the Laurel Highlands helps to keep the moisture locked in for most of the year. Of course, I am devising this from that one geography course I took in college where we discussed the leeward and wayward sides of mountain ranges and how one side is arid and one side is wet. We are on the wet side, I assume.
No matter the reason for our seemingly constant state of dampness, the lack of sun can be extremely depressing. It's warm enough to get my kayak out on the plentiful waters, but I fear while I am peacefully floating an hour away from my car in the middle of a lake, a massive thunderstorm will open up with sheets of rain and gusty winds causing me to simultaneously sink and capsize. If that doesn’t finish me off, I will be struck repeatedly by lightning and cooked like a marshmallow held too close to the campfire flame, black and crispy but not nearly as tasty.
Planning any outdoor events around here is a crap shoot. The weather folks are not helpful either. They predict calm winds and sunny skies. Convinced, you plan an elaborate outdoor party not bothering to erect canopies because the weather gal promised fair skies. You wake the day of the party confident you made the right choice until you hear the unmistakable sound of the dog whimpering in fear and rain pelting the roof. Seriously?
During my short stint in "sunny" California, I learned a few things. First of all, "sunny" California is really foggy and cool much of the year, at least where I lived. Second, I learned to appreciate rain. A dearth of rain is great for awhile, then it kind of sucks.
In drought-stricken regions, citizens are mandated to save water. Creative ways to save water are plentiful. Flush only when poo is involved. Turn off the water when you brush teeth and wash dishes. Take ridiculously short showers. Don’t water your lawn. Your car looking a little dull and dusty, tough! Water conservation is taught alongside potty training. Worse, strangers feel compelled to scold and report you if you dare to squeeze an extra drop of water onto your vegetable garden.
California caused me to miss green grass, the beauty of a thunderstorm, brimming rivers and lakes, the clean fresh smell after a brief shower, and driving amongst people who did not fear death at the slightest drizzle. It’s mind boggling how Californian residents, literally, cannot drive in the rain.
Yes, California has way more positives than negatives in the weather and beauty categories, but rain is essential. Without rain, so much is lost. I decided to take a moment, as I hunkered down in a riverside park shelter protected from the imminent rain, to ponder why I should be grateful for rain, the infinite, unrelenting, soaking, saturating, and constant rain.
1. The Color Green- Out west green is not a shade you see blanketing the earth. The mountains are brown, yards are brown, the sand is brown. Brown reminds me of death. Green is cheerful and lively.
2. Rivers and Lakes-The lakes and rivers out west are often dry, just big mud puddles. Here, our rivers and lakes flow, riffle, and lap. Though the levels fluctuate, I can always get my kayak to float or find a place to cast my fishing rod.
3. Fewer Fire Warnings-Though we do occasionally dry-out enough to cause some concern for brush and forest fires, they are rare. When fires pop-up, they are usually doused quickly with the abundant water we have available.
4. Self-Care-The only time my toilets aren’t flushed is when my inconsiderate children “forget” to activate that little silver handle attached to the toilet tank. I do encourage turning the water off when brushing teeth, but we take as many showers as we want. Sometimes they last ten minutes or more.
5. Ground Stability-This used to be a sure thing. Landslides are way more common on the hillsides of California due to the lack of vegetation brought on by droughts and fires. However, the excess of rain we have been experiencing here has caused over saturation of our hillsides. Houses and roads have been falling away. Cracks and craters are plaguing our roads. Houses along creeks and rivers are flooding regularly. We have been subjected to floods that occur only “once every 50 years” happening multiple times annually. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
6. Enjoying Thunderstorms-Regardless of what my dogs think, I love a good thunderstorm. The smells, the sounds, the cooling wind in the middle of an oppressively hot day, the flashes of light as diverse as fireworks, its all so majestic and magical.
7. Cleans the Community- A good rain washes away the pollen and dust that collect on the cars, roads and every other surface. A hard rain washes away the things man leaves on the ground, the trash and other unmentionable filth that inconsiderate gross people fell the need to dispose of on paved surfaces all over town.
8. Rainbows- Without rain, there aren’t rainbows. Rainbows are awesome
The water that rain gifts us is needed for life. Life is better with rain. Rain makes living more colorful, healthier, easier, prettier, and sometimes moldier.
I know I have a choice. I can pack my bags and my kids bags and my husbands bags (because let’s face it they aren’t gonna do it) and move to some place drier and sunnier. Or, I could go to Seattle so at least my soggy life would be a hipper life. Unfortunately, those places come with a higher price tag, more traffic, more pollution, and overpopulation.
I like my lush green hillsides and clean flowing rivers. Yes, I am tired of my backyard turning into a marsh, but the Mallard ducks who, along with the annual spring rains, move into the neighborhood each year are happy to splash and frolic, and maybe even find a small fish, in my lawn pond. So, for now, I’ll stick around. I’ll just replenish my vitamin D pill supply and put on my waders to mow the grass.
As far as my shabby looking porch goes, I guess it will have to wait and until the weather cooperates. So, it will never get done. I can rest easy though. Nobody can see its sad state through the constant, torrential downpours.
Temptations: How I Wish it Would Rain
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