“Remoted – Hybrid” – Day 923 (Monday) – rain watch

Last week in Finnish class, as it rained for the second week of class, slamming onto the roof and nearly drowning out the lesson, the teacher said it generally rains every Monday while she is teaching. So far, so true.

Today, it was sunny most of the drive from Lowell to Leominster, but I could see heavy, gray clouds looming up ahead on the approach to Fitchburg. Thanks to slightly tamer 5:00 traffic than the past two Mondays, there were a few minutes to spare and a stop was made at Big Lots to grab a couple things. Loaded up with gnocchi, spiced apple cider packets, and Raspberry Zinger tea bag, a moment was taken to pause outside the car, catch my breath, and appreciate the dense cloud bank which was settled over the area of my destination. 

Clouds over Fitchburg.

Once in the car, it began to rain. My umbrella was at home on the kitchen table. That’s pretty much what the entire day felt like. I had taken the stairwell at work to the first floor on a errand and realized the pass card required to access the stairs or the elevator for the return trip was still on my desk. When leaving for the day, I entered the stairwell and realized my coat was still draped over the back of my office chair. Opening the heavy stairwell door to go back, I hit my foot with the door and put a big scratchy gouge in the toe of my favorite Steve Madden boots. 

I won’t even get into the multiple (4? 5?) short-notice, last minute requests that crossed my desk throughout the day. So, yes, when it rained and I was umbrella-free, I just laughed.

Further down John Fitch Highway, a rainbow appeared to be rising from the Civic Center, but there wasn’t a chance to get a photo. I thought I’d see it at Saima Park, but the trees were too tall and the bit I could see was faint and the rain was becoming heavier. Later, in class, someone said they saw a double rainbow.

It seems the teacher has been right about the rain, and is 100%  for the first three weeks of this session. It rained during the first hour of class, slapping down on the roof, but eventually eased up. By the time we ended class it had subsided to a light rain, which was great news for the ride home. Last week’s heavy downpour with rumbly sound effects and lightning resulted in poor visibility and a white-knuckle trek through Fitchburg. Not far beyond the city, it stopped for the rest of the ride home. Thank goodness.

Arriving home tonight, the ground was wet, indicating it had rained, but the driveway didn’t have the giant puddle that lingers after a big rain. We need the rain, we are finally getting some rain, and it is good. And now the Monday Montachusett area rain watch is in effect.