When it rains... it pours

One of the most amazing things about living here is the rain. It's a desert, so I didn't expect much. And most days, that is what happens. No rain. Since we moved here we have had three totally overcast days where a big cloud blanket covered the sky and threatened rain at any minute. It rained in the evening on each of those days, for about 1/2 hour each. We haven't had any days where it rained or even drizzled from morning to night.

What we do get, though, are massive rainstorms complete with lightning, thunder and hail. It has hailed more times this summer than there have been overcast days. (how cool is that?!) Here's what it looks like when it rains in Albuquerque. First, a river runs down our street.



Then, a river runs down our patio steps. The patio river brings with it mud from up on the hillside, so after each big rain (there have been maybe four of them), we have to shovel out the mud that now covers our nice brick patio.