Isn’t rain supposed to fall down?
“Huh,” sez I, casting an appraising glance at the clouds glowering down at me from atop the Sandias. “Think I’ll mow the lawn.”
Boom. About 30 seconds after I finished and put the mower back in the garage, Thor gave the neighborhood a solid power-washing.
The deluge only lasted a few minutes, but that shit was coming in sideways. It was surf’s up across the cul-de-sac, and the mom next door probably wished she had an airboat to fetch the kiddos home from wherever because Nissan Altimas don’t float like the original VW bugs.
But hey, nobody bitches about rain in the desert. Unless it catches them from behind with the earbuds in, walking the Chihuahua down an arroyo.
Tags: rain
July 20, 2021 at 8:30 pm |
Push mower right?
July 21, 2021 at 6:34 am |
Electric. Maybe I can make a bike out of it after we xeriscape the place.
July 20, 2021 at 8:37 pm |
We got an inch last night in about 40 minutes. Bring it on! Doesn’t fix exceptional long term drought. But, things are greening up here. Nice to see after last year’s pitiful rain.
July 21, 2021 at 6:37 am |
More than an inch in 15 minutes here. Sure beats last year’s “nonsoon.” Unless you’re the poor sods who got washed down the Embudo arroyo.
On my ride yesterday I saw a woman chatting away on the phone as she walked her dog down the drain that parallels the bike path south of Lomas and thought, “Oh, bad idea.”
July 21, 2021 at 11:38 am |
Flash floods do not play games. Not long after I moved here, I watched a guy in a Toyota truck try a cross a flooding wash on the West side of the Huachuca mountains. He got halfway across when we heard the roar coming. A rancher had a rope in this truck, we threw it to the guy and pulled him out of the rapidly rising water. Then, we watched his truck go rolling down the wash. My lesson was early and lasting. And, even if it is not a burn scar area, the water is full of debris which adds to its power.
July 21, 2021 at 11:44 am |
We had one of those come over the top of NM502 about a week ago. A motorcyclist tried to ford it and crashed. Fortunately, he was able to escape the water but got really banged up.
July 20, 2021 at 9:11 pm |
Left Bombtowne in a biblical deluge tonight. Nothing in Fanta Se.
July 21, 2021 at 6:28 am |
Just like politics, all rain is local? 🙂
July 21, 2021 at 6:39 am |
It really was like getting power-washed here. You don’t often see water flowing uphill. Unless it’s headed toward money.
July 21, 2021 at 9:09 am |
If the wind blew that system in our direction, it petered out somewhere between hither and yon. We got a bunch of wind and maybe all of four drops of precip.
But damned if that wasn’t enough to do some serious flooding damage along the Poudre Canyon. Last I heard, one dead, 5 missing, many cabins washed away.
July 21, 2021 at 1:25 pm |
Good news is there is actually some water from bank to bank again in the Rio Grande up at Otowi Crossing.
July 23, 2021 at 5:20 am |
We got 0.6 inch last night around 10:30 in one storm. They are predicting a big rain event lasting until 11 PM tomorrow. Strange. These big rain events are normally caused by a tropical depression moving up Baja and into AZ, like in 2006. Anyone have a canoe for sale?
July 23, 2021 at 11:24 am |
Pat: I can just imagine you on a standup paddle (SUP) board! Guitar in one hand; paddle in the other; whitewater flowing; smile on your face; singing “What’s SUP, mi amigos?!” Etc.
45 years ago when we lived in Tucson near a 100-year flood plain arroyo, we had two (2) 100-year floods within 3 weeks of each other. Statistics be damned!
July 23, 2021 at 2:43 pm |
When my dad coached our little league teams, he’d always have the kid who was oh-fer-1973 pinch hit at some critical point in the game. I’d ask, why are you putting Wilson in there?
He’d wink and say, “He’s due.”
July 23, 2021 at 2:26 pm |
Meanwhile here in the Mitten state another day of rain and muggy temps. The fekkin mosquitos are the size of sparrows and Sid Vicious. Or maybe Johnny Rotten. I declared war and spent a C note on more deet death sprays and Thermocell refills. I’m tellin ya they are bad here. Normally they have retreated by mid July to woods and swamps but this summer they are lurking everywhere. When on my deck it’s combat grilling and even in the garage you can lose a quart of blood
July 23, 2021 at 2:45 pm |
They can make you crazy! I visited, camped and fished Minnesota and Canada in and around Rainy Lake. Mosquitos drove us nuts. Another reason to live in the high desert!
July 24, 2021 at 7:07 am |
When I was a sprout in Texas the skeeters were the size of Hueys and they’d hit a picnic like Lt. Col. Kilgore’s boyos in “Apocalypse Now.”
July 24, 2021 at 9:25 am |
Herb, do Thermocells work well for you?
July 24, 2021 at 1:27 pm |
Yes in certain conditions B Lester they do. On the deck or in the car port when there is low to no wind. When I work on tuning up my riding mowers and brush mowers, I get the hell chewed out of me while stationary for an hour or so. But I found if I pull into the car port and get the Thermocell going it helps immensely.
July 24, 2021 at 9:03 pm |
Thanks Herb, that makes sense. Here in Wisconsin your description of the bloodsucking little bastards matches perfectly with ours. I looked at the Thermocell site, and on a low wind day, it looks like a wonderful solution. Thanks again.
Cheers, mon ame!
July 23, 2021 at 3:39 pm |
I don’t know JD, I might bang up my guitar. “I love muddy water, it’s dirty but it feels alright.” Keb Mo
Now, Herb loves him some kayak time.
https://tucson.com/news/local/watch-now-rillito-river-runs-wild-in-tucson-after-monsoon-showers/video_9aea1872-6450-5e58-9056-1694209e7cbd.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
July 23, 2021 at 6:07 pm |
I did run a small stream in flood stage once in a kayak. DUMB idea since I almost got pinned under a low bridge since the water was so high. Totally underestimated the power of water versus puny human strength. Sold the whitewater boat right soon after that.
July 24, 2021 at 9:41 am |