Our Family Journal

And we haven’t been hit as bad as some either! It has been a wet summer. No sign of drought in sight. Nope - not a chance. And we’ll save on the water bill I’m sure come October cause we haven’t had to water in two months but that’s probably offset by the extra amount we’ve had to run the basement dehumidifier… oh well.

But to make light of the fact that we spent money on a pool pass we’ve only used a handful of times (partly just scheduling, but the days that would have worked it often wasn’t possible to go thanks to thunderstorms or simply b/c it was too cold and rainy) I thought I’d share this article with you. I can relate to the beach towel comment especially.

Shamy: Hey, Big Guy: Any chance we can get a break from the rain?

By Ed Shamy, Free Press Columnist • August 10, 2008

Dear Creator,

I hope this finds you and the Missus well.

Probably you are rolling your eyes already, knowing full well that I only get in touch with you when I want to whine, or need something.

But believe me, Friend, I come to you on bended knee this time not only on my own selfish behalf. I speak for all of Vermont.

As you know, Sir, year-round living in Vermont poses challenges. The winters are long and dark and cold. We need to be resilient to survive. And wealthy. And it helps if we have a screw or two loose because anybody with their wits about them heads south from Thanksgiving until Easter or so.

What keeps the rest of us around is the promise of summertime, a brief but blissful period in Vermont. Warm days, cool nights, plenty of swimming holes, good fishing, deep shade, we have the works. Were summer not such a wonder, Vermont would be uninhabited because no one would put up with such brutal winters.

That said, Your Majesty, the clock is ticking on the summer of 2008 and so far it has been a stinker. Such moisture!

We had 5 inches of rain in June, more than 7 inches of rain in July, and August is bringing drizzle, followed by downpours on the heels of deluges.

That’s about 15 inches of rain since June 1, which most of us consider to be the beginning of summer.

May I point out that Las Vegas gets about 4.1 inches of precipitation per year? By my math, Your Royal Highness, we’ve had almost four years worth of Las Vegas rainfall in 9 weeks.

That doesn’t seem fair. Every day that rain falls in a Vermont summer is another precious opportunity wasted.

Fifteen inches?! Whaddya, outta your mind, Boss?

The beach towels we hung on the clothesline in the first days of June are still out there, and they’re still wet.

The leach field is gurgling, the septic system is failing.

The fungi are flourishing, the slugs have polished off the lettuce and are hightailing it for the chard.

We had a half-demolished bridge pushed into the Winooski River because of high water. We’ve lost entire roads to flooding
Father, can’t we say uncle?

Think of the golf outings spoiled. The weddings. The softball games postponed.

Have you ever tried to mow grass that hasn’t been dry in a month, Sir? It tends to clump, to shoot from the mower in soggy masses. Ever tried outdoor grilling during a monsoon? Some of us are getting depressingly good at it.

We appreciate your divine protection from drought, Sire. Nothing fun about that.

But Labor Day is 15 days from today and that’s when the Summer Fat Lady sings in Vermont. Sure, we might have a scorcher after that, but it’s not the same as a hot day in August or July.

September days are not as carefree. School has resumed. Vacation time is depleted. The marinas, the waterfront restaurants and all of Grand Isle County are, once again, placid. Overanxious geese are on the move. Political campaign signs sprout where the lilacs once bloom’d.

Fifteen days to go, Lord. Please, might we have two or three of them dry?

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 1:22 pm, and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.