rain

What started as a 60% chance of rain turned into a flood for parts of upstate New York. LA gets on average 15 inches in a year, and just yesterday there was 7.5 inches of rain. The gravel driveway up to my aunt and uncle’s house has been washed down and needs to be pushed back up: work my uncle compares to Sisyphus who must roll a boulder uphill for eternity in the underworld. The road to the house is closed on both sides. One side is too deep and you may to get your car stuck in the mud or a cornfield, that is, if you think it is safe to pass the wooden bridge with water flooding over. The other side has been partially washed away by the overflowing creek. Less fortunate neighbors have flooded cellars and businesses. Further down the creek in Fort Plain 60 homes had to be evacuated and it has been declared an emergency zone.

If the road had closed a couple hours earlier, the relatives that visited for the weekend would have been stuck with us until it is safe to cross. The internet failed when the rain started and it is impossible to get cell reception already, but we still have electricity, water and the house phone works. There is even a wood stove to cook on if things get real desperate. Despite the fact that we couldn’t be stranded in a better place during a disaster, I know at least one person who would not enjoy the inescapable isolation.

I think situations like this help us remember what is necessary in life. Technology is a luxury that we are lucky to have, but we cannot depend on it. Things are known to break, get lost, or be unreliable and leave us helpless. Nor is technology more important than the people around you. Today may have been worrisome, but it makes one realize the simplicity of just living. After all, who needs the weather report when you can just take a look outside?