Spread the rain around!

Photo:  Chris Granger, Times-Picayune

With 42 states suffering from drought, it really does seem unfair that New Orleans is getting so much more rain that it deserves. Corn cobs are withering on the stalks in Illinois while we literally bathe in excessive precipitation. We don't need it all - we've got the Mississippi.

I was hoping to go for a swim on Thursday when a deafening clap of thunder caused me to leap out of the lap lane for the ladder. The lifeguards cried out as a bolt of lightening flooded the sky. That was the start of a two-day deluge. I tried again later that afternoon, but gave up on swimming as the rain continued.

On Friday, we experienced 5-1/2 inches of rain! There were as many as 700 lightening strikes in the span of 15 minutes, the Times-Picayune reported.

I got e-mail notifications of canceled meetings, closed schools and other consequences. My graphic designer and I made use of the time to have a phone meeting while she was trapped in her car waiting for the water to subside.

I was scheduled for a noon lunch date at a Magazine bistro, but my companion called to say she wasn't sure if she could make it through the flooded streets. Peeking outside, I noticed my own street draining nicely, but the power had gone out at the restaurant a few blocks away. Well, let's wait an hour and see if they reopen before we reschedule, I said.

She called in a bit after finding another eatery with a functioning kitchen further down Magazine. We gladly sloshed over there and found it full of diners. Nothing can keep us Louisiananians from a fine lunch!