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Today I join my fellow bloggers in
"serving up a slice" to the March SOLSC
sponsored by Two Writing Teachers. |
I awoke this morning to a steady patter on the roof, music that we don't often hear. People who don't live in the Northwest might not understand this, but we rarely have steady rain. Instead we mostly have gentle rain. Whenever I move the windshield wiper from intermittent (a rare occurrence), I laugh and say that we're experiencing Houston rain. Actually, Houston rain requires the rapid speed of the wiper (the one that almost makes you dizzy and is hardly ever used here). So now I've renamed the settings on my windshield wiper - Seattle, Steady, Houston. I think about the word steady and google the phrase "steady rain". Yahoo! Answers provides this explanation of steady rain in answer to John's question, Does moderate rain and steady rain have the same meaning?
"... Steady rain means that the rain has fallen at a steady (heavy, light, or moderate rate) and continuous pace."
So it's all about the rate of rain:
heavy = Houston
light = Seattle
moderate = ? (Does your city qualify for the moderate designation?)
And while I meandered through moderate patter to write this post, our gentle Seattle rain has returned!
I love how you have re named wiper speeds. In Los Angeles we have rain that dumps and floods (is that like Houston rain) and we have mist, which is less than light. I know we have other kinds of rain on occasion, but it has been so long I've forgotten. Parched in LA!
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting how you're relationship to the rain is defined by place (Houston, Seattle) and how that determines how you look at the windshield wiper. It's amazing how we see the world and personalize things in our own ways and how just the rate of rain can be defined so differently from person to person.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated with the way you've renamed the windshield wiper settings. I don't think my city qualifies for the moderate setting. I'm not sure where it does.
ReplyDeleteBTW: I would love to feature this slice in my daily "be inspired" section on the daily calls for slice of life stories. Please email me and let me know if that's okay. My contact info is stacey{at}staceyshubitz{dot}com. Thanks.
You are right Ramona, in the east we take rain for granted. I remember when I visited Seattle people were begging for some rain. I'm hoping you get more of steady kind!
ReplyDeleteSo thought-provoking! I would say in the Midwest our specialty is having every kind of rain...within the same storm pattern. In fact, that's how I would classify our weather the whole way around -- it's like a grab bag of every region's offerings. Hot, cold, rainy, sunny, arctic, temperate. They say here, if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes -- it'll be different :).
ReplyDeleteRamona,
ReplyDeleteI classify our rainy days by geography also.
Produce Section Mist = Seattle
Sideways Rain = Chicago
I have been calling steady rain "Seattle special" since when we DO get it, it seems to go on nonstop for days. I shall now call this kind of rain Houston.
I grew up in India where we had the monsoon - now THAT is heavy rain!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has traveled to Seattle quite a few times, says that the only ones who use umbrellas are the tourists, right? I love that you have wiper designations of cities. Denver has so little rain that we celebrate when we have a gray day that's at least sprinkly. It's just too, too dry. Love the ending too, Ramona!
ReplyDeleteWhat Oklahoma doesn't rate in your wiper speeds? :-) Can't say I've ever associated rain intensity with a locale. You've given me something to think about.
ReplyDelete"And while we meandered through moderate patter to write this post, our Seattle rain has returned. ". I enjoyed the poetry, personification of the rain and the passing of time captured all in this line.
ReplyDeleteI love rain! And your post makes me imagine that I'm sitting there listening to a rainstorm! I won't experience a storm again without thinking about whether it's a Houston rain or a Seattle rain (or a Denver rain which is usually dark clouds and a little wind, followed by five drops and then it's over!)
ReplyDeleteOh - I can only hope we get to rain in Minnesota! We are still watching snow! At least it is now melting!
ReplyDelete