I still remember the disorientation of my first year living in the Golden State when day after day presented clear blue skies with nary a cumulus or stratus or nimbus in sight.
Then the rains came.
Huge, torrential down pours flooded every street and gutter. Water fell from the sky in sheets, hitting a bone dry, clay earth. It turned to mud and muck, coating every surface until it dried to a hard crust while the weather led the local news stories.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the rain left and the sun would reign for another two hundred days.
Over the years, I've watched Californians prepare for the rain and have realized they fall into three distinct categories.
1. The Skeptic
The Skeptic looks at the heavy gray clouds and ponders the change in weather briefly, deciding to toss a patterned scarf over her diaphanous white blouse and pulling Uggs on bare, tanned legs exposed by her short skirt. Another look outside and she might carefully place a jaunty cap over her flat ironed hair. After all, it's only a 15% chance of rain and it hasn't rained two hundred days unless you count that Wednesday in August when there was a heavy mist. She decides to walk to meet her friends at a local outdoor cafe, grabbing her Kindle on the way out the door, but leaving the umbrella to continue to collect dust next to the ice scraper she got at a White Elephant Christmas party.
2. The Over-Reactor
One look at the weather report with its 20% chance of rain and low temperature of 60, the Over-Reactor drags her quilted, floor length down coat out of the closet where it's been stored since February. She wraps a wool scarf around her neck and pulls on Hunter boots. After all, Winter is Coming and she needs to be prepared as she slowly pulls her car out of the driveway, inching along the street and staring worriedly out the windshield for that first drop of rain.
3. The Tourist
You can spot a tourist by one glaring quality - they're the only ones carrying an umbrella and looking askance at the people drinking their lattes outside while tapping on their laptops in the ever darkening daylight.
Of course, there is a fourth category:
The Young Native Californian known for their cry of, "Why is water falling out of the sky?" and "Is that rain?" They're most easily identified by their shiny new rain boots and creased raincoats.

5 comments:
Too funny. It's much the same in Las Vegas - rain is a rare treat, but it sends people into a tailspin. They don't know what to do. They can't drive in it, because they don't know how. The kids can't play outside, because they'll catch their death of warm rain water. It's funny, really.
This Pennsylvanian was always amused that EVERYTHING MUST STOP for any snow fall when I lived in DC.
If snow were to fall here - even without it sticking or gathering anywhere - you'd see people barricaded in their homes sure the zombies were on their way.
Bundle up those poor children! It might drop down to 65!! :D
No kidding. Personally, I think kids should play in the rain at least once in their lifetimes.
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