No No No --- No Rain Please

I peered through the darkness trying to see the ka-thunk I was hearing.
Am I dreaming?
I looked over and the alarm clock was dimly whispering 4:30.
Where was I?
Damn- It's raining. I ratcheted myself out of bed, ignoring the snapping sound of too tired joints and threw on my shorts and raincoat and hobbled outside.

All day, and all year, the rains never came, the rancho was forever dry even when communities within a 15 minute drive from my house were getting drenched and even touched by itty bitty tornadoes. My rancho is located in geographic trough. Surrounded by hills the rain clouds are pressed dry between the surrounding hills and smoggy skies, never making it to my part of town.

The last time I checked for rain was at 1:30 am, standing outside I could see the stars peeking through the patchwork of fluffy clouds.

I was gambling and I was winning until I fell asleep.

I think the rainclouds were playing hide and seek behind my orange trees.

There is nothing as invigorating as standing on your roof in shorts before dawn trying to unfurl 1500 square feet of plastic sheeting. Southeast I could see the dark clouds hovering so low it looked like I could throw rocks into them.

The roof over the front portion of my house is covered with wafer board, slowing water leaking into the attic, but the garage is wide open. The huge gaps between the 1950's roof boards allowed the rain to stream into the garage like water through a giant ribbed colander. The dirt previously on the top of the roof washed over everything, leaving behind a puddles filled with itty bitty tar chunks from the old roof. Now the garage smells like the loads of old roofing, removed a while back, and there are oily looking blotches on the concrete floor.

What a mess.