Southern California and Arizona were forecasted to have a wet Halloween weekend. That proved to be true. It all began on Thursday when the clouds became dense and grey. By mid evening Thursday it began to rain and then storm.
And then came the lightning. I was quite surprised to see lightning this late in the year. Gretel jumped up on me as I sat in my IKEA chair. The dogs heard the distant thunder before I did and their behavior showed me that a storm was coming overnight.
Friday was wet most of the day. I was at the middle school all week and use my planning period to walk around campus to get my steps in. I did most of my walking inside the gym. The mountain peaks were shrouded in fog.
I didn't walk the dogs for three days because of the rain. On Halloween I took Gretchen out for 2.5 miles around the 'hood in the morning and then it began to rain in the late afternoon. I don't get any trick-or-treaters here in the country, but I did think about checking out Bisbee, but then it began to rain by 7pm, right when most of the adults in costume like to walk around the old part of town. It was a warm rain.
The big rain came today, Sunday. Rain was forecasted for 9am for most of the day. I had to get up at sunrise to take Hansel and Zana to the river for a three-mile romp. Skies were already dark, especially to my Northwest (where Steve lives).
The river was running low despite all the recent rain. That surprised me. Wildflowers have all gone dormant and the tall grass along the river is dying off. I took the dogs off-trail when I saw an older couple approach me. This added some mileage.
It began to drizzle lightly on my ten-mile drive home. Two hours later it began to rain and this rain persisted all day. The mountains by now were completely hidden by clouds. A flash flood warning was issued at noon for the rest of the day. Northern Arizona around Prescott and Sedona received five inches today.
I love being home when it rains. This way I can monitor the dogs, keep the mud outside, and keep them busy. I was outside planting the last of my potted plants into the soil whenever there was a lull in the rain. This will be the last plants I put in the ground this year. We have another month before deep frost hits. This will give the plants time to establish good roots.
It was a good rain over three days. This rain is part of the super El Nino predicted for the Southwest and El Nino delivered. In four days the storm will be over Chicagoland.
