It’s sunny, hot and humid all day. I can see the sunny from my office window. I can feel the hot, even with the A/C on, and the forecast says we’ll see 90ish. The humid is confirmed when I get the mail in the afternoon, when I take out the recycling in the evening.
An hour later, the sky goes hazy, then dusky. And then Flash-Crack goes the lightning and thunder, almost simultaneously.
And then the sky opens wide.
The swale fills. The pond fills. The gutters next door fill.
I step out onto the porch to take it all in. I message the folks to see how they’re doing. They’ve lost power. Sigh.
They say the house is still cool for now from the A/C being on until a few moment ago.
Things that are straightforward normally are complicated by pandemic. Even so, if the power stays off and the heat climbs, it’s not a question. Obviously.
Pack a bag while there’s still light, I tell them. And make sure to report the outage to the power company.
They do and then assure me the power company says the lights will be back on in a couple of hours.
Pack just in case, and you won’t need to. Don’t pack, and they’ll have delays and you’ll be packing by flashlight later.
S has rubbed off on me: Contingency planning. Have a plan, a plan B, a plan C.
They don’t respond to that. I’m sure they think I’m crazy.
Anyway, their power does come back on, and ahead of schedule.
The rain slows to a slightly less alarming rate.
Tapers off.
Stops.
It’s full dark when it starts again. Low rumbles, flashes, the rush of water. I can’t see it. But I hear it.
Sometimes the summer rain is comforting. Tonight it is not.
