Rain, Rain, Go Away. Come Back in July When We’re Really Going to Need You

Aspen leafing out for spring

We are headed into the last week of May. We have had nothing in May but rain, rain, rain, rain. We’ve had a few days where the sun came out for a few hours, but those times have been few and far between. We usually get about 2 inches of Rain in May, our “rainiest month.” So far, my back yard has gotten close to 8 inches. And that doesn’t count the moisture we got from the 5 inches of wet snow we got overnight one night.

There is flooding, and while it isn’t like the flooding we saw in September, 2013, it still has people on edge. Flooding here is not like the flooding I’m used to in Missouri. The river doesn’t just get high and sort of spread out like a big lake, except on the plains. Here in the foothills, the rain rushes madly down the canyons, scouring out everything in its path. It is ruthless. It doesn’t slow down until it has found a way to leave town. Most of the rivers here are called rivers, but as a Missouri girl, they are just creeks. But right now, they are very full creeks.

Even up high, in Rocky Mountain National Park, the waterways are crashing through the rocks and trees. As I sit writing this on another cloudy, overcast day that had significant rain in it, I am looking out at the Big Thompson River rushing by the coffee shop. The water is muddy and angry. Some of it is snow melt, but much of it right now is from the persistent rain.

We all feel like we’re living in Seattle! According to our weather people, Seattle has actually been warmer and much drier than we have.

But May can’t last forever, right? I’ve got plants and seeds in the garden, flowers in pots on the front porch, and all the summer clothes out. These 50-degree days with pounding rain are depressing. They are promising us some sun tomorrow, and I am looking forward to that. I will go outside and soak up as much as I can. Last year by this time we had the swamp cooler running and were wearing shorts every day. We haven’t even uncovered the swamp cooler yet.

Cold, grey, rainy, damp, and foggy. I’m ready for some sunshine!

Sun comes out in Estes Park

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