Pawcurious Vet Blog: Pet help, stories, and information with Dr. V

When there’s bad weather in Southern California, they always make it sound like the most dramatic event ever. “RAIN WATCH 2009!” “STORM WATCH 2008!” “ Expect INCHES of RAIN!!!” I can see how people watching the news in Maine from under a blanket of snow are less than impressed.

Trust me, though- this storm was a doozy. Southern Californians aren’t mentally or physically prepared for a good drenching, so when it hits we all stand around befuddled as to what the heck we’re supposed to do when the house starts to flood. Driving in it? Forget it. And that’s just rain we’re talking about here. Throw hurricane-force winds, tornadoes and hail into the mix and you have panic of epic proportions. Needless to say, I am glad I didn’t need to go out much the last few days.

Especially when the hail started. It began as a pummeling of rain, which turned into little dippin dots of ice. By the time I got the camera out, we had marbles falling from the sky.

Brody had no idea what to make of it. First, he observed.

Then he decided to make a run for it. Why not? His center of gravity is low. Unlike me, who slipped on my behind the second I stepped out onto that treacherous stuff and could do nothing but stay under the porch and wait until he got sick of getting pummeled.

The hail was so strong it knocked our Christmas lights down. YOU HEAR THAT, HUBBY? Even the universe was sick of waiting for you to get around to it.

Yaay, hail is fun!

…..unless you’re getting nailed in the eyeball. Not so fun.

This is a rare opportunity for us SoCal people. Ice doesn’t pile up too well, but you can certainly shove it into a horizontal snowman iceman.

We don’t have scarves, hats, or sticks- so we improvised: an aloha ice lady with a eucalyptus skirt. I thought it was apropos. She wasn’t as cheery a second later, when Brody crashed onto the scene and ate her midsection- but a quick and messy death would probably be preferable to her protracted fate the next morning when the sun came up.