When it Rains, it RAINS!

California is well known for its fantastic climate. Of course, we're also a huge state so different parts of the state experience different weather. In general, the coast is pleasant all year long, the mountains see snow in the winter but have mild summers, and the central valley has mild winters and blazing hot summers. I don't mind because it means I can ride about 360 days out of the year.

California at its finest. PC Sean Sweaney

When it rains here in Bakersfield, it lasts a few hours and then moves on. Our annual average is 6.47 inches. For the year. As in all 12 months. Last year, we got a total of 4.43 inches. In 2013-2014, we had 2.41 inches. Some of you get that in a few hours. 

On my way to the barn ...

Over the past 4 days, we've had 2.2 inches of rain; a full third of our annual rainfall and just slightly less than what fell in all of 2013/2014. I don't think anyone's complaining though. When you live in a land that exists in perpetual drought that's also regularly on fire, any drop of precipitation is much appreciated.

Is that our arena or a lake?

Yesterday morning, I kept a close eye on the radar, certain that the clouds would dissipate quickly letting me make my daily barn run. Not only did the clouds not disappear, but they got thicker and heavier. Since there's no time like the present, I let both dogs jump in the truck, and we headed out in a downpour.

I have never seen Speedy's dry paddock this wet.

The ranch owner would have let me know if there had been a problem, but I hate to make her slog around checking on everybody. I needed to exchange Speedy's medium weight blanket for his heavier one anyway. I was glad I did because it continued to rain for the rest of the day and into this morning.

I think it was trying to float.

Izzy's side was no better. Both dogs thought the whole things was fabulous. That's labs for you though, and both of ours are confirmed water dogs. My husband laughed at me when I told him I had brought the dogs with me. My truck now smells of eau de wet dog, a very pricey fragrance.

Yellow Dog beelined for the muck. Gross.

Our black lab was much more sensible. He kept to the grass and out of the horses pens, a rule about which Yellow Dog conveniently forgot.

Tobias likes his paws clean.

Even though Izzy's blanket is looking a bit worse for wear and is held together with carabiners and spare parts, I tossed it on him. By about 7:30 p.m., the ranch owner called and asked if it was okay to pull it off. For the second time in a row, he had managed to get out of the leg straps and had it hanging off his body in a way that only Houdini could have accomplished. We both agreed that safe and wet was better than dry and tangled. He hates wearing the thing anyway. No wonder that blanket has seen better days.

Heading home.

By the time I was finished, the tanker trucks had succeed in pumping a good portion of the water off the road. The river and canal run parallel to the road, so when the ground can't absorb the water quickly enough, they siphon the water off the road and dump it in the canal. Things are still pretty wet this morning with showers predicted through this afternoon. I think I'll wait until later in the day to make my daily barn trek. For the next ten days, we have sunny skies forecasted with temperatures in the mid-70s.

I think we can deal with that.