Not an old man, not yet snoring

[gerisullivan]

Somewhere it's been written for this year that if it's still October, it must also still be raining. And so it is. It's raining, it's pouring.

I suppose I should be counting my lucky stars. The ones lurking behind the rain-sodden clouds blocking the view, that is. Much though the snowy white fingers on the map of "SUPERSTORM 2005" look to be touching down near Wales, my forecast calls for temperatures to remain a few degrees above freezing even at their lowest, so I don't expect to be dealing with white stuff before the week ends. Fingers crossed!

On Monday afternoon, I hauled 100 shovels full of dirt and gravel back up my driveway in anticipation of the rain that's now falling. That worked out to 9 or 10 wheelbarrow loads, much though it felt like 20. I figure I redistributed something around 1000 pounds of driveway before staggering back into the house in exhaustion. Of course, the 14 inches of rain that have already fallen this month have washed away more like five times that amount and then some. Water is amazing stuff. Yes, I knew that. Yes, I'm still inordinately pleased and relieved that the water is staying outside rather than seeping in anywhere. (Anywhere I've found so far, anyway. And I have been spot-checking. The back gutter has come loose, which isn't so good, but all else looks fine. Sure am glad I installed those downspout extenders this summer.) But enough already, eh?

I guess not. The forecast is for more rain, winds, snow, flooding, and more, mostly involving power outages. Weather like this leaves me very glad that my daily commute is one flight of stairs long. Dry stairs. Here's hoping they stay that way, and that yours do, too!

Comments

Re: Odd thing...

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

"Extraordinarily motivated self"? Glad it looks that way, from the outside at least. And while a generator wouldn't be a bad thing to have, it doesn't seem to be an absolute necessity, so I'm glad to avoid the expense of one. I have two fireplaces, actually, one in the living room and the one that was dripping, which is in my bedroom. Only one screen, though, so using both at once would be problematic until I do more shopping.

Most of my clocks are battery powered -- the ones I keep having to reset are on the stove and microwave. Fortunately, it's relatively easy to do so.

As for your icon question, there are a lot of answers. Up on the surface, it's the picture I've taken most recently that I'm happiest with. A bit further down, I am fascinated by jellyfish and could happily watch them move for hours on end. There's a grace, a beauty, that they embody. A delicacy, yet not without defenses, as your observation about their stinging nature shows. The way they flow speaks to my sense of design. Going much further than I'd previously given thought to, they reflect both the beauty of life and its sting. I only hope that life itself isn't always quite so brainless....

Re: Odd thing...

[thirdworld.livejournal.com]

Okay, so your answer on the icon thing was way cool!