Rain, Rain, Go Away...

As I was unloading groceries in the pouring rain last night, I began thinking about all of the Noah’s Ark style precipitation we have been subject to lately in the mid-Atlantic area, stuck in an apparent low pressure weather pattern. Always one to both consider the positives and negatives of a situation, here are some things I came up with for “what’s good” and “what’s not” about all of this precipt…

Things that are pretty great about all this rain….

·      No need to wash the car (or if you must wash, wait for the next rainband to come through, get out there with a bucket and a sponge and save some cha-ching that you would normally have spent at the car wash!!!).

·      Pollen levels tend to get washed out, so grass and tree allergy sufferers have a bit of a get out of jail free card (exception: see mold allergy sufferers below).

·      Nobody is going to tell you to stop watering your lawn or garden, and a lessened chance of the water table falling to drought conditions this summer.

·      It is super-easy to pull weeds from gardens and flowerbeds.

·      Too cold to put out our seasonal pool just yet, so no pool maintenance or pool pump electric bump.

·      I get to wear my sweet plaid rain boots pretty much every day… SCORE!

·      Morning’s first light is pretty dull, and allows me to sleep in a bit later as compared to streaming bright sunshine.

·      No unexpected spring sunburn from being caught unprepared without sunscreen on.

·      Random outdoor cats that are usually screeching and pooping about my yard have not been seen lately.

Things that are not so great…

·      The ground is literally saturated and that means trees of all sizes could fall fairly easily if faced with even less-than-severe straight-line winds. It would NOT take a tornado to topple a tree with such loose soil, so keep an eye on any trees close to your home.

·      I have not been able to find a good time to mow the lawn/weedwack because it is just too wet – grass and weeds are starting to look pretty shaggy. Dislike.

·      Mold allergies are flaring up (I am among these sufferers - <sniff>).

·      Farmers are being delayed in planting crops for summer/fall yields. This could have major impact, especially with all of the impending stinkbug damage to navigate as well.

·      Roads are being damaged by flash flooding (one in Thurmont – 550North of town – has been shut down for weeks already).

·      Sinkholes may begin to open in the coming weeks at an unusually high frequency as the water tables shift and soils settle. This area is prone to sinkholes after weeks of heavy rains, so keep your eyes open!  

·      Basements and already humid rooms in your home will be even wetter than normal – Be sure to keep a dehumidifier running!

·      Nuisance pests are likely thriving (ants and termites especially—and when it starts to warm up a bit expect a ton of mosquitoes).

·      The thunderstorms freak out my dogs, and make them shake, pace nervously, and try to smash themselves up against me for security. Cute, but annoying.

·      You are definitely not getting enough critical Vitamin D on a daily basis, as there has been little to no sun exposure (though average Americans do not get anywhere near the suggested intake even if they work outdoors – consider a supplement!).

·      Many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which has been tied to a lack of UV light exposure. Cloudy weather patterns like this can find SAD sufferers to fall into a winter-like funk (and from a less scientific standpoint, gloomy weather makes people cranky!).

·      Car washes, ice cream shops, and other seasonal/weather sensitive small businesses are not exactly making a killing.

·      Children’s outdoor athletic events and outdoor recess opportunities are being cancelled week after week (my some is none too pleased about the recess situation).

·      Construction projects (commercial, residential, road improvements, etc) are being delayed and many hourly workers are basically on furlough and without income until a clear weather pattern returns.

·      It is still too cold to put out our seasonal pool …ALSO listed in what’s GOOD about this rain!  :D

Wait a second… I think I just might see the sun trying to peek through a tiny break in the clouds! Could it be? The weather forecast is looking fairly nice for this weekend, so be sure to get out and enjoy it!

So what do you hate about all of the rain? Anything you think is great about it? Any fun rainy day activities you enjoy?