
I popped out briefly as the rain lessened to take a photo of the water pooling around Fernley House. Water started flowing through the vacant lot to the east of the house, as the local ground slopes away from the railroad tracks and Front Street. Our house is just slightly higher than the land around it and could get completely surrounded by water if enough rain fell. Just visible in the distance was the BNSF local switching crew, who were trying to get work done in this rain.

When the rain passed, it left behind this view from in front of the house, with the sun streaming through the clouds and reflections on the puddles. It was very pretty. But then it started to rain again so we headed back inside.
I'm glad we're getting rain, and hope that there's even more falling into the Lake Tahoe basin and the Walker Lake drainage, where it will do much more good than puddling up here in Fernley, although we of course hope the rains will also do some good for recharging the local aquifer. I am also glad I did not have to go anywhere today, and furthermore, the rain did bring the temperatures down to a much more tolerable level. The only fault I find with such a mild summer is that it's why we're getting such a bumper crop of Russian Thistle (tumbleweeds). We've been watching the rabbits come out and nibble on them, but what we really need is a herd of goats.