The real thing

The monsoons are off to a good start this year: almost 1 inch of rain over two days and yesterday we got an old fashioned gullywasher dumping 2.3 inches! I have it on good authority that this used to be a "normal" amount of rain for one shower before we came to live here. Kids would float down the roads of the nearby village on intertubes. We have been in a drought for 10 years or so.

This morning finds the desert refreshed and smelling great. Where did all that water go? I am surprised we could not hear all the plants making a huge sucking sound. Some of the runoff was dumped into our "pond", aka "the velodrome", and no sooner did the rain start pounding the ground there or the spade foot toads were croaking "tonight's the night". It was deafening.

New grass is already sprouting and leaves are popping on the ocotillos. Soon it will look like Ireland around here. And, more rain in the forecast.