Just like everyone else in our area – and the state at large – I’m praying for rain.
In fact, I’m praying, wishing, hoping, and wondering if we should have some sort of animal sacrifice at this point.
And while I’m writing this Monday afternoon alternating between browser tabs for the latest updates on impending tropical cyclones and storms headed our way, my bionic ankle is letting me know that rain will make an appearance soon.
Unfortunately, being a human barometer doesn’t give me a lot of specific details on how much rain we’re going to get or how long it’ll actually be effective against these drought conditions.
Oh, yeah, and the other problem with the bionic ankle weather monitoring system?
It’s honestly pretty painful and really surprised me when I woke up Monday morning.
After all, I still have some neuropathic damage in my right ankle thanks to last September’s broken leg experience.
But, for the most part, I’ve been able to manage it with careful stretching and Tylenol – if something flares up that is.
Monday and the impending rain we’re predicted to have on Tuesday are creating a whole slew of shooting and tingling pains that I was not prepared to deal with while trying to finish my stories for this week’s paper.
I know that I’m grateful to have forecasted showers that’ll provide our plants and wildlife a smidgen of relief.
I’m only wishing that having this knowledge with a roughly 70% chance of surety wasn’t so painful.
Though it lines up with the “early on-set arthritis” cautions and possibilities my orthopedic surgeon gave me at our last appointment in April.
Since the moisture content and barometric pressure pains are right on schedule then I’ve got roughly 100 days until I have to worry about pain management during our colder months.
Sadly, that’s one of the things I’m more worried about than most since most weather forecasters are predicting for us to have an extremely colder winter season this year that lingers well into 2024.
In fact, mom and I were already discussing it over the weekend and are going to make sure our fireplace woodpile is fully stocked just in case.
After all, no one wants a repeat of the last few winter storms we had to endure and how long so many residents were without water, heat, or even basic electricity.
And maybe it’s like I’m getting a few dozen steps ahead of myself, but, I’d rather be prepared for a future event than having to scramble last minute along with everyone else fighting for basic necessities.
I’ve always carried that sentiment though, through all of our wonky weather experiences and those critical moments at work or in college.
In those latter respects, I have to give mom all the credit for instilling a sense of preparation in us while we were growing up.
While I’m not sure where she exactly learned it from herself, I have heard her extoll the virtues of being an agriculture and FFA student in school along with beneficial training workshops from a variety of jobs she’s been at over the years.
I wasn’t into FFA or ag, but, having h er wealth of knowledge has certainly paid off in its own way and I’m always grateful for it, too!
