Moist

When it comes to being out in the rain there are those who will do fight with every fiber of their being to attempt to stay dry, and those who recognize the inevitability of getting soaked and trudge on anyway.

Like most people in Taylor County, I spent far too much time last week in a constant state ranging from being uncomfortably moist to soaking wet and back again.

It didn’t help that the week started out so hot and humid that it was necessary to pack a change of clothes when you were going outside to get the mail. Then it started to rain, and we went from being in a sauna to being in a monsoon.

Prior to the start of last week’s Rib Lake School Board meeting, I tagged along with board members as district administrator Travis Grubbs gave a tour of the ongoing construction project. We started in the high school and saw the work being done in the current library space before heading over to the middle school. In the time we were in the high school the rain went from being a steady stream to being a downpour.

A major part of the building project is to connect the two buildings so that in the future students and staff won’t get caught in the rain or other weather when going between the buildings for classes. While the referendum passed last year by a healthy margin, I am convinced that it would have been near unanimous if people had to deal with the weather we had last week.

From years of working at The Star News, my first priority in the rain is to protect my camera equipment from getting wrecked, which typically means shielding the camera bag with my body.

By the time the school board meeting began I was decidedly squishy and didn’t really dry off before going to bed that night.

Things seemed a little better on Thursday. As usual on Thursday afternoons in the summer, I was busy setting up in the city park for the Kiwanis Summer Music Series. The band Ember was set to play and those of us on the committee were excited.

I had been watching weather reports all day, choosing to put more faith in the historically optimistic ones rather than the pessimistic ones. One of the realities of booking live music in outdoor venues is that the performers get paid no matter what, so there is a major incentive for the show to go on or at least not being overly premature in cancelling. It feels like a gut punch from Mother Nature when you cancel only to have the clouds part and the sun come out moments later.

We had gotten the beer tent set up and I was sitting under it stocking the coolers when a representative from the band came over with concerns about potentially severe weather heading into the area over the next several hours. While the show goes on in just rain when you add in lightening and wind things can go south very quickly.

Our severe weather back-up for the Kiwanis Summer Music Series Concerts is to open a shelter up the hill from the stage. We mulled it over and with a steady roll of thunder, the hours it would take to break down the equipment and the slim chance of anyone actually showing up other than the volunteers. We took it as a sign to cut our losses and reduce the risk of the band’s keyboards and other musical instruments getting wrecked from the blowing rain.

Taking down a tent in a thunderstorm is always a fun and memorable experience as anyone who has been camping knows. By the time it came down to breaking down the tent, I was soaking wet for the second night in a row. If possible, I got more soaked, loading and unloading the utility trailer we use to haul out equipment.

My goal in the coming week will be to go to bed every night without my hair being soaking wet and hoping that my shoes will dry out before the next morning.

I fully realize that I am whining and yes, I would like some cheese — a wedge of smoked gouda would be nice, but I am not picky.

Here’s hoping for drier days ahead.

Brian Wilson is News Editor at The Star News. Contact Brian at BrianWilson@centralwinews.com.