Rain ...

Exactly how much rain can there be? And what about the Midwest does rain like so much? Lately, when I look at the radar, the rest of the country is high and dry but Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio? We have a red-yellow-and-green extravaganza raining down on what feels like every other day.

I woke up to the sound of my sump pump cycling on and off – which is much better to waking to the sound of my sump pump not cycling on and off – which it's continuing to do, every 30 seconds or so. It is a happy sound. I have had brushes with water in my basement. I do not prefer to have them ever again.

So I'll listen to the hum and gurgle as I listen to the rain coming down on the skylight directly over my head and look at the refreshed radar on my monitor, trying to gauge when the rain will go away.

At the moment, a very red cell is right over this house I call home, so the sump pump and the rain on the glass are creating quite a symphony. But if it's not too much to ask, Mother Nature, could you share the soggy wealth with another part of the country for a few days? We have overnight temps in the teens headed our way again. I understand that it's not spring just yet, so maybe we can let the ground recover a little and firm up to a consistency that's slightly more solid than pudding.