Rain

The lovely rain I was talking about yesterday turned into an awful thunderstorm last night. It went from a nice, gentle rain to a torrential downpour in a couple of hours.

This morning I had a tornado warning on my phone! It's still raining now; that's over 24 hours of almost continuous rain. Plus, more rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

Mikey had to take Hannah back today. He doesn't mind the drive; it's about 50 minutes to one hour one way. But he was worried because of the rain. All the different routes to Hannah's have underpasses. These are railway bridges; the road under the bridge dips a lot. Some are shallower, but all are hazardous when there has been heavy rain. Cars can get trapped there; it's difficult to judge how deep the floodwater is. During one of the awful rainstorms in the summer, a 60-year-old woman died because her car stalled in an underpass; she couldn't open the doors, and her car flooded. The news showed that the car was flooded up to the roof. I know that the underpasses where we live have warning signs as you approach them to be careful during heavy rain. In some areas, there is no other way into the city without using an underpass. Not the best city planning!

Hannah stayed for a few days; she enjoyed playing with the cats. She gets spoiled by her older brothers; they buy snacks and groceries for her. I've enjoyed having everyone at home the past few days; it's nice, but I know that sooner or later they will all move on. That's as it should be, but without Hisao, it is going to get lonely! For now, when we can all get together, I focus on just enjoying the banter and teasing, the laughs and deeper conversations that go on!

Hannah took this photo during the thunderstorm. Mama and Alfie found a box to curl up in!