Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.”
We’ve had beautiful weather around here lately… my kind of weather!
A year ago, the weather was cool and the rivers were flooding. This year, we skipped Winter and Spring and went straight to Summer. We’re experiencing hotter than normal temperatures and drought conditions. The Army Corps of Engineers is struggling to find enough water to get the lakes up to summer stage.
So what is one to believe when the TV weatherman calls for a “20% chance of rain in the TV-6 viewing area?”
I’m not much of a gambler. I put a little money on “the white horse” in the Kentucky Derby. I don’t know anything about horses; I picked that one because it was white! And with 20 horses in the race, I figured I had a one-in-twenty chance of winning. Right?
Yet another lesson about the perils of gambling.
But I digress…
The “TV-6 viewing area” pretty much covers everything from Southern Illinois down to Union City, Tennessee, and from the Bootheel of Missouri across to Nashville. So there was a 20% chance that it would rain somewhere.
I’m thinking I should have been a weatherman. I mean, how could you miss?
We’d had “20%” predictions all week and nothing much more than steam to show for it, so this weekend I wasn’t too concerned that the top was down on my Jeep.
It’s wonderful, by the way, to drive around with the top down, the wind whipping through my hair, the smells of nature… occasionally a dead skunk… and diesel exhaust…
As a safeguard, I purchased a cover (similar to the one shown below) to throw over the Jeep at night – to keep out the dew, bird poop, and the always-possible overnight squall.
The cover is fairly simply to install: elastic loops stretch over the sideview mirrors, and straps attach to the door handles. Then there is this long strap across the back that I wasn’t really sure what to do with. But since it was just to keep the overspray out, I didn’t worry too much about it.
After the car wash, the First Mate and I decided to take her freshly-washed car out to a movie and dinner. I once again checked the weather radar – a habit now – and the area was clear: nothing significant any closer than Oklahoma City. So away we went.
Two and a half hours later, as we were leaving the theater, I saw rain in the distance. As we headed for our favorite sushi restaurant, I chuckled at a red Jeep I saw in the parking lot with its top down: “He’s going to get wet!”
We enjoyed a nice dinner as the rain came pouring from the sky. For more than two hours, the rain fell. At this point I’m thinking, “Good thing I put the cover on the Jeep!”
That thought was short-lived, because as we pulled up into our driveway, I discovered that the wind had peeled back the cover and the Jeep sat almost completely exposed to the rain!
The seats and carpeting were completely soaked, and water stood an inch deep in the cup holders! The top, which was so nicely folded at the rear, was holding a half-gallon of water within every pleat!
And as we were mopping up water late into the night, I came across the instruction sheet for installing the emergency cover.
So that’s what that strap is for!
Last night, I wasn’t so happy. I can only shake my head and laugh now. It was bound to happen eventually; I just didn’t expect it so soon.
There is no more rain in the forecast for the next week, and temperatures are moving back into the upper 90s. It should dry out pretty quickly.
But I’m already thinking about vinyl seat covers and rubber floor mats!
