The storm door is wide open

Whatever you think of the weather people on local TV (I get my weather online, so that tells you something right there), they're often quite entertaining. One phrase I vividly remember from years past, long before the current drought, was "the storm door is wide open." This would invariably be accompanied by a weatherman or -woman in photogenic rain gear frantically holding on to an umbrella about to fly away.

Well, that good old storm door has finally swung open after a very long absence. It's blustery outside this afternoon, with temps in mid 50s, and the rain is coming down in buckets. This is an old-fashioned Pineapple Express storm, the kind we used to have quite frequently in decades past. Yes, I sound like an old geezer, but my teenage daughters have a hard time remembering wet winters--the kind California is supposed to have.

It's too early in the season to know whether this will finally end the long drought we've been living with, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

Instead of photos, I decided to post several short video clips I took on my cellphone. The quality isn't the greatest, but at least you get an idea of what a wonderful experience this rain is to us parched Californians.




Succulent bed next to the front door





Succulent bed next to the front door



Succulent mounds



Clogged drain



Agave attenuata 'Boutin Blue'



Under the Bradford pear tree



Shell ginger



Backyard



Next to the backyard slider


Comments

  1. Uh .... the videos are playing for me. It says " An error occurred. Please try again later. All except for the last one which works.

    Raining here, too, not buckets, not even tea cups, but still it is wet.

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  2. It appears that you're getting more of an old-fashioned downpour than we are. We've racked up just 0.36/inch since the rain started here late this afternoon - hopefully, it'll be heavier as the night goes on. The LA Times had a feature on the drought on the front page this morning, showing that, while NorCal is generally doing very well, Central and Southern California are still lagging way behind, raising questions as to how water regulations will be managed state-wide.

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    1. Don't get me started on water regulations. The fact that water districts are now allowed to "self-certify" is the height of ridiculousness. Just when residents were getting used to water conservation they're receiving highly misleading signals that we're out of the woods. Maybe, maybe not, and but the goal should ALWAYS be to use water sparingly. Years of sparse rainfall will be the rule, not the exception.

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  3. So happy for you! I know how despondent I get by the end our our dry summers, I can't imagine what these past years have been like for you all down south. Enjoy!

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    1. The first few years of the drought were the worst for me mentally. Then I got used to it--and made major changes to the garden. But it's amazing how good REAL rain felt, not just 30 minutes of lackluster sprinkles.

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  4. I do hope this signals and end to the drought. I haven't lived in Sacto for 29 years but when I did it was wet...several bad floods even. I remember Geraldo Rivera on TV in a boat up in Chico going by a street sign that only showed the top foot. I think that is when we couldn't get to SF for a week or so. We are having crazy winter weather here. Tomorrow it will be 80 degrees dropping to 30 degrees over night : ) Happy Holidays to your and yours!

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    1. Laurin, I remember that winter very well. People and pets sitting on rooftops, with the rest of the house underwater. We had been on a trip and couldn't get back to Sacramento because both I-5 and Hwy 99 were flooded and closed. Those were the days!

      It's bright and sunny today. Perfect, actually, since everything needs to dry out for a while. But it'll be cold at night in the next few days--31, 29, 31. Time to get out a few frost blankets, just in case.

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  5. Yay! So glad you're getting rain, and lots of it. Happy plants, happy gardener.

    How long have you had those hideous clickbait ads in your sidebar? I don't remember seeing them previously.

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    1. Clickbait? I don't see any ads in my view. I guess I need to check from a browser where I'm not logged in.

      I don't specifically have ads turned on for this blog so whatever you see must be pushed by Google.

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    2. I don't see the ads either.

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    3. The ads are included in the widget/gadget entitled "Follow Me on Social Media". There used to be just a small bar there only. Gerhard can either remove that gadget or check to see (edit) if he can remove only the ads inside.

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  6. Wow! A downpour in California! I'm glad you're getting rain.

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  7. It sure came down here Gerhard--we had road closures and flooding creeks. Now we have freeze warnings ,and temps in the low 30's and high 20's for the next few nights.Plants have been moved to safe havens.

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    Replies
    1. It's nuts, isn't it? 35°F tonight but 31 and 29 Saturday and Sunday. Will get out the frost blankets tomorrow...

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