And the Rains Came

As most of my readers are aware, we are experiencing rain and snow of biblical proportions here in California. After four years of below normal accumulations, the moisture is much needed and gratefully accepted by most. But even drought relief comes with a price.

This is brought to my attention by Red, my big tomcat companion. Multiple times each day he goes to the patio door and asks for me to open it. Which I do. After providing food and a warm lap, opening doors is my next most important duty. But I have not been doing a very good job lately. When I open the door he is presented with driving rain and gusty winds. He sits and looks out at the weather, then he looks at me with a long suffering disdain, lastly he gets up and walks away from the patio door and toward the front entry door where the performance is repeated. Red is definitely being inconvenience by drought relief.

I would think his behavior exceptional, except this same scenario was described in 1957 by Robert Heinlein in his wonderful book, The Door into Summer. Petronius the Arbiter (a.k.a. Pete) is a similar tomcat who is not fond of winter and behaves exactly like my Red cat. They both are always looking for dry warm sunny weather on the other side of the door.

For many other residents of California, the price is much higher than mere inconvenience. A state of emergency has been declared in five California counties. A week of storms has brought 8 to 10 inches of rain to the Los Angeles-area mountains. In the Bay Area we have accumulated nearly 5 inches of rain. People have been evacuated from their homes because of the danger of mudslides. In Pacifica, 20 feet of cliffside crumbled under heavy rains, leaving an apartment building in danger of collapsing into the ocean. There has been urban and small stream flooding. Large trees have been uprooted by rain and wind, causing much damage. And sadly, a number of deaths have resulted from the brutal storms.

So while we celebrate the rain and snow, we must be aware that some are paying a very high price for our good fortune.

Live long & prosper!