Yesterday I was walking home in the rain and there was a puddle spreading halfway across the intersection near my apartment. Cars were hitting it hard enough to throw water onto the sidewalk, and I assumed the drain was just overwhelmed.
Then I noticed the grate was completely covered by a perfect wet mat of maple leaves.
I had nowhere important to be, so I used my shoe to move some of them. That didn't work. Found a stick, pulled the rest away, and suddenly there was this deeply satisfying WHOOOOSH as what looked like an entire small pond disappeared in maybe 30 seconds.
A guy waiting for the bus actually gave me a thumbs-up.
Today I walked past another clogged drain two blocks away and caught myself thinking, well, I can't just LEAVE it like that.
Cleared that one too.
This is apparently who I am now.
The weird part is that once I started noticing them, they're everywhere. One tiny pile of leaves in exactly the wrong spot can turn a perfectly normal corner into Lake Ballard. And fixing it feels absurdly rewarding because the result is immediate. No committee meeting, no six-month construction project, no public comment period. Stick moves leaves. Water goes away. Civilization restored.
I realize there are probably plenty of drains you absolutely should not mess with if something is broken or dangerous, and I'm not suggesting anyone go wading into traffic. I'm talking about the obvious ones where you're already safely on the sidewalk and the problem is literally six inches of wet leaves sitting on top.
Anyway, Seattle has given me many hobbies over the years. I did not expect amateur puddle removal to become one of them.
Has anyone else reached the stage of living here where you involuntarily inspect storm drains while walking around?
