Rain, rain go away...

So this was my life over a week ago... sitting in hours of traffic in the rain. Traffic is exacerbated by even the tiniest drop of moisture, making the already tortuously slow and maddening traffic jams come to a dead halt. Steve was upset that I was taking pictures while I was driving until I reminded him that no driving occurred here... only eternal waiting....

When I did get moving it was more like hydro-planing, the water was so deep.

This is what a typical day in Rome in the winter is SUPPOSED to look like blue skies and NO RAIN. Our first year here we had maybe three days of rain from November to May. The poor olive farmers had black olive crops that looked like shriveled raisins from the lack of moisture. Well someone prayed for rain and got their wish because we've had 4 solid months or rain. This past week we finally had blue skies. Glory Hallelujah! The Tiber is a quiet gentle river. There is a bike path that runs beside the water, under the bridges of Rome and there is never any fear of any falling in a drowning as it's so shallow.

And this is the destruction that happens after months and months of rain....barges came un-moored and slammed into each other in swift currents.

The sidewalks disappeared and unwary tourists and homeless people who lived under the bridges drowned

The rain made the water rise 20 feet and sucked away anything in its path

So while I'm happy the families in our ward will have a nice olive crop this year, I'm praying opposite of them.... no more rain! I need sunshine--- and to get to places 5 miles away in under two hours.