The weather...

A sunflower in my garden last summer

The weather is a hot topic in this part of the country. Being from California, I was not used to it when I first moved here. So much depends on it - and it can change so radically from one minute to the next, it seems it is always in the news.

I have come to enjoy the change of seasons and the varying weather patterns - most of the time. I do not care much for Tornado watches and warnings, but thunderstorms and lightning fascinate me to no end. Well, until it gets really close - then it scares me. And the really cold weather isn't much fun either..

There are many farmers in this area and from what I have seen, the vast majority do not have irrigation systems. They depend on the rain to water their crops, when it doesn't rain they suffer.

And on days like today and yesterday we have too much rain - several inches in a short period of time. So now there is flooding. It's always something with the weather around here.

There are 3 rivers in close proximity to Fort Wayne. The St. Joseph River and the St. Marys River join to form the Maumee River. Needless to say, when it rains a bunch - like the past couple of days - there are flood watches and warnings throughout the area.

Speaking of watches and warnings - it seems there is one or the other pretty consistently. Wind, hail, snow, freezing fog, heat. Again, coming from California this was foreign to me. For the first year I lived here I was alarmed whenever I heard the warning signals on the radio or the TV. Now I have become used to the little map up in the corner of the screen showing which counties are being affected by the weather flavor of the moment. I truly understand now, that as a Californian, I never really appreciated the temperate climate, but that is how it goes right? You never really appreciate something until it's gone.

Here's a riveting video of the rain (and a little thunder too) I shot today using my cheap digital camera, if you have absolutely nothing else to do, by all means - check it out.