Watching international news playing on CNN a few nights ago got on my nerves. Headline stories were about the downfall of the New York Governor, wildfires blazing across the globe and the relentless devastation of the Covid pandemic.

A solid hour of downbeat information without a single positive note was all I could take. I turned off the tube and jumped into Facebook to see what’s happening closer to home.

So I found out that hurricane weather was brewing again off the Pacific Coast. And sure enough, Lakeside got battered with big storms and we found ourselves under glooming gray skies in daytime hours instead of the once common sunny mornings following nights of steady rain.  Local streets briefly turned into raging rivers. Drainage lines got blocked with heaps of litter.

Well, never mind. Much of the runoff eventually ended up soaking into the water table or flowing into Lake Chapala, now on a steady rise with a half meter gain in elevation since the start of the rainy season, with and no sign of abating in coming weeks. As an added bonus, my garden is now flourishing in full summer glory, filled with hibiscus, dahlia and cheery multi-colored zinnias blossoms.

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