Rockets and Rain
Last night we walked up to Dancing Ground Park to watch fireworks. The town decided, after all the fire hazard warnings and dry conditions, to do a display at the mall a mile from us, visible from our neighborhood park.
Kids ran around with light sticks in the gloaming while we waited for things to start. Parents scolded, teens set off mini fireworks around us, little ones waved sparklers. It was warm and windy and weirdly damp. They set off test rockets, angled to the east to fight the wind to the west. Finally the show began and the finale was awesome. Kaboom.
Today, the day after, the weather was unsettled and humid and at dinnertime the heavens opened and rain fell. Hard at first, pelting our skylights. We have 5 skylights in our house and I am forever going around to turn off lights in the daytime, only to realize it's sunshine from above lighting up the interior of the house.
The skylights beat out a drumming tap dance that announces rain in New Mexico. Ratatat ratatat. Noisy bliss. The sun came out while it was raining hard and everything was sparkly. Then it retreated and dark clouds came back.
My new rain barrel, installed on a sunny day under where I thought the rain would pour off the canale, failed. It wasn't anywhere near the spout of water that jutted out off the roof with such force. It's located in the Employees Only alley at the side of the house, but I need to reposition it.
I need to move it to the other side of the house in front, under the dining room windows, where an ocean pool of standing water formed in my new garden under the canale there. That's where the rain barrel needs to be.
My copper rain chain works. Water poured so beautifully from cup to cup and it sang. It made a delicate metallic humming sound. Huh.
It was only half an inch of total rain, but it was more exciting than fireworks, noisier on our skylights than booming rockets, and a great way to celebrate the 4th.
Kids ran around with light sticks in the gloaming while we waited for things to start. Parents scolded, teens set off mini fireworks around us, little ones waved sparklers. It was warm and windy and weirdly damp. They set off test rockets, angled to the east to fight the wind to the west. Finally the show began and the finale was awesome. Kaboom.
Today, the day after, the weather was unsettled and humid and at dinnertime the heavens opened and rain fell. Hard at first, pelting our skylights. We have 5 skylights in our house and I am forever going around to turn off lights in the daytime, only to realize it's sunshine from above lighting up the interior of the house.
The skylights beat out a drumming tap dance that announces rain in New Mexico. Ratatat ratatat. Noisy bliss. The sun came out while it was raining hard and everything was sparkly. Then it retreated and dark clouds came back.
My new rain barrel, installed on a sunny day under where I thought the rain would pour off the canale, failed. It wasn't anywhere near the spout of water that jutted out off the roof with such force. It's located in the Employees Only alley at the side of the house, but I need to reposition it.
I need to move it to the other side of the house in front, under the dining room windows, where an ocean pool of standing water formed in my new garden under the canale there. That's where the rain barrel needs to be.
My copper rain chain works. Water poured so beautifully from cup to cup and it sang. It made a delicate metallic humming sound. Huh.
It was only half an inch of total rain, but it was more exciting than fireworks, noisier on our skylights than booming rockets, and a great way to celebrate the 4th.
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