Gustavius

Whew! Now that Gustav has moved out of New Orleans leaving behind minimal damage, I am free to enjoy the wild weather here in Arkansas. Ah yes, the remains of Gustav are right on top of us now.

One of my favorite parts of living in Little Rock is the variety in the weather. In California, we had mild winters with periods of cold rain, gentle springs with some rain and lots of balmy days, warm summers with cool, foggy nights, and clear, cool fall days. We almost never had exciting weather, with the exception of the occassional heavy, winter rain. People pay outrageous sums of money to live in coastal California's "perfect" weather. Guess what? I say it's not worth it. That calm, mild weather is B-O-R-I-N-G! I love the unpredictability of weather in the South!

There are few things more spectacular than a severe thunderstorm in which lightning flashes every 2-3 seconds for several hours! Matt and I love to sit outside in the middle of the night during a summer downpour, when rain is falling at a rate of 3 inches per hour, and the 2 a.m. temperature is 80 degrees! This year we had 6 inches of snow in March, and 80 degree weather with tornadoes a week later. Granted, the tornadoes are scary, but there's something awe-inspiring about witnessing the power of God in the midst of those terrifying storms. We have plenty of perfect days here too, especially in October and May. Fall here is spectacular! But right now I'm looking out the window, watching the remains of a hurricane blowing through.

It has been raining non-stop since 2 o'clock this morning. And it is beautiful! The clouds are moving in an arc, from southeast toward the north, and around to the southwest. The rain falls steadily, blowing from all directions. The clouds are moving one way, but you can't tell from which direction the wind is blowing. And sometimes you see mini twister patterns in the rain. This is called hurricane effect rain. I've never seen anything like it.

The forecast for our town is 10 inches of rain by Thursday morning, with the possibility of thunderstorms and tornadoes. There's a flash flood watch in effect, too. Needless to say, we are sticking close to home. The drivers here are nuts in good weather. In heavy rain, I hate to venture out on the roads. So we're bunkering down tonight for Chicken Supreme (made on my cooking day), and a quiet evening of cinnamon scented candles, popcorn, and family board games. To sum it all up, I love living here! I LOVE this weather!

P.S. Tomorrow is my birthday! I'm so excited.....