The persistence of the current storm has surprised me. At first it was quite weak, producing little more than a dense mist its first day, but rather than weakening, it has grown stronger as it has lingered. It is expected to continue through Wednesday morning. Even now, the ground here is as saturated as I've ever known it to be, and I expect at any moment that one or another of the huge oaks or pines will lose its grip on the soggy soil and come crashing down. Should this happen, I might lose power for a while (maybe even a day or two -- PG&E is sometimes rather slow with repairs) or even a chunk of the house. There are no large trees near my end of the house, but the end with the kitchen is overshadowed, which makes me fear for my beer supply and my tasty refrigerated snacks. I've brought the Goldfish crackers and the bag of chocolate chips into my room, but the cheese, the artichoke hearts, the green olives and such must remain chilled. I do hope they remain unmolested by any arboreal failures.
For the moment, the rain is in abeyance, presumably suffering a momentary exhaustion as a result of its earlier frenzy. I hear but a gentle sprinkling and the trickling of runoff from the downspout, and spray no longer flies through the open window (the air is surprisingly mild) with the gusts of wind. But I suspect that later today, as was the case yesterday, there will be periods of fury sufficiently brazen to wake me from sleep, though, thank goodness, the thick layer of clouds will prevent the penetration of my room by any bright sunlight which might make a return to sleep difficult. After a night of dealing with three gimpy browsers, I need my sleep!
