Rainy Afternoon

Boy, that's a big rubber ducky, isn't it?! I never added an image from the web before, so this is a new experience for me and I was as surprised as the rest of you to see how big he is. I thought of replacing him with a smaller version, but then I thought his size was appropriate since a big ducky would have loved it around here today. Why? Let me tell you . . . because we've gotten lots of rain in so far just 2 hours. I left home at about 3:30 to go to the Farmer's Market, and as I was getting in the car it occurred to me that we would get some rain soon. The drops started while I was leaving the driveway, and shortly after I started heading down the street, we were in a major downpour -- the kind where the rain is falling in such volume and so fast that the wipers can't handle it. I considered turning back home, but then I wondered what the Farmer's Market would be like in the rain. Since it was warm outside and there was no thunder, I figured it would be a good adventure. (And I'll be honest -- I had an umbrella in the car or I would never have considered it.) I tried to wait the rain out while I sat in the parking lot, but no such luck. So I braved the rain and . . . had a great time. The rain was coming down in buckets, and I mean buckets. But for me, it made for a strangely nice time at the market which was, as you could imagine, practically empty. I felt sorry for the vendors (who were all so happy to see me . . . surprise surprise) so I tried to be a good consumer. (smile) By the time I went back to my car, I was very thankful I was wearing flip-flops, as the water was literally up to my ankles both in the puddles on the grass and in the parking lot! After I got home I wanted some way to quantify the rain that had come down, and I found this from the National Weather Service: "A trained weather spotter in Woodbury had 1.5 inches of rain in less than an hour. Radar estimates as much as 2 inches may have fallen in some locations." So . . . apparently I wasn't overreacting!