First of all, it's raining (thanks Hurricane Matthew). And we all know that rain for any extended period (and sometimes even for not so extended periods) brings me down and generally puts me in a foul mood. It is expected to rain here through tomorrow. But that's not one of the things driving me insane.
Okay, I lied. It is.
So yesterday morning, when I drove to work in the rain - well, you couldn't even really call it rain then because it was just spitting - you know, the kind where even if you put your wipers on intermittent there's just not enough water on the windshield so you hear that nails on a chalkboard SKREE sound. That. The noise makes me insane - but there's nothing I can about it other than a) listen to it and grit my teeth for the entire commute or b) hold my hand close to windshield wiper control and hit it once enough water has accumulated for the whole commute, which means you have to time it just right otherwise you can't see out the window. Guess which one I did?
If you guessed, "b" you win the prize.
While driving in this manner, in the pitch black, rain spitting morning, I happened to pass a car that was half in the opposite lane and half in a ditch with the flashers blinking. I didn't see anyone around, so I kept going. Now immediately beyond where I saw this car there is a fairly sharp curve which meant that the disabled car wouldn't be seen by someone coming down the road in that lane. As I was approaching the curve, I noticed headlights FLYING toward me (people constantly fly down this road - it matters not whether it is pitch black, raining, sunshine, whatever - they will fly) so I immediately began to flash my headlights in an effort to get this person to slow down. They did not. I can only hope they saw the car and was able to veer into the oncoming lane without encountering traffic.
Now, reverse the scene - minus the car half in and half out of the road - and that was my drive home. On the plus side, I didn't see any evidence of a wreck or police tape - so maybe it all worked out okay.
Upon driving up to the driveway, I noticed two things. One: The Husband was not home (not terribly unusual but we generally arrive within minutes of each other) and Two: Man-Child was home and parked in The Husband's spot (this is unusual as he generally goes to gym and doesn't get home until about 30 minutes later than us). As I opened the door, the first thing I heard was the SKREE of what was either a fire alarm or the radon detector whose batteries have died. The second thing I noticed was that Man-Child was in his room, fast asleep, right next to both the suspected culprits. HOW? How could he sleep through that God-awful noise?! But sleep he did.
I figured I could stand the noise for the few minutes it would take for The Husband to arrive and fix the problem. So I sat. And sat. And sat. And sat! All while that damn noise drilled deep into my brain. Finally, The Husband called - he was going to be late (no kidding, I'd noticed that already!) but was on his way (Thank God!).
Meanwhile, Man-Child continued to slumber through the racket. HOW?!
And another thing. People who refuse to use their blinkers - this, by the way, is an every day, all day long issue. It's become such an issue in this area that in the past few weeks TWO letters were written to the editor of our local paper. The last letter had me laughing as the writer lamented those "poor people who can't afford a car with 'working' blinkers..."
Sadly, I don't think the people responsible for not using their blinkers read the paper. And this lack of blinker-usage is the ONE thing that enrages me almost more than anything else. It is SO inconsiderate. The act of flicking that blinker on is SO minute...AND? Ninety-nine percent of the time, you don't even have to turn it off - it "magically" turns itself off. And yet, so many people can't be bothered. It is rude, inconsiderate and downright dangerous.
Now back to the rain - it has been pouring steadily all day long. I just looked at the hourly forecast and it predicts that this deluge won't end until about 5 am. This is a LOT more rain than what they were predicting for this area. I'm sure there will be some flash flooding in the area if their predictions hold true.
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| This is what the forecast looks like right now |
We are located somewhere in that red circle - I think. I'm fuzzy when it comes to geography. As you can see we are far enough inland that we don't have to worry about storm surges but we are taking a beating nevertheless. In fact, I just received an alert that a Flash Flood Warning is in effect until 11:45 pm (speaking of which, I don't know HOW my phone is getting weather alerts but it about gives me a heart attack every time it does - SO loud). It's time for Hurricane Matthew to make a hasty retreat. We've had enough.
Despite my complaints, I know we are the fortunate ones. As you know, Haiti and other areas were hit hard and practically destroyed. This article gives links to several charities that are helping both the national and international victims of Hurricane Matthew, in the event that you want to help.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those that have been affected.
Glad you haven't had any storm damage!
ReplyDeleteStill trying to figure out how MC slept through the annoying alarm? Wonder how he will be when it's a crying baby?
What was that alarm? Did hubby fix it? Yes, that hurricane has caused an awful lot of damage, but Haiti got the worst of it by far. My heart goes out to them. :-(
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