The problem is that the area at the end of my driveway never completely dries up, even under the best of circumstances. (Well, that’s not entirely true. In July, which is a best-case-scenario month for these things, it’s dry.) It lies in the shade cast by two eucalyptus groves, one on each side, and it stays cold and wet there pretty much all winter.

And now this. In every other winter that I’ve lived here, there have been ruts and depressions that have collected the water. It wasn’t pleasant, but I was able to walk around it and drive through it without much of a problem. Now, thanks to our neighborhood Samaritan, the holes are gone, replaced by a slab of loose-shaped, oozing mud. I can’t walk through it without sinking up over the ankles of my boots. And I’m a little bit afraid to try to drive through it.

Today was another in our endless string of holidays, so I didn’t have to drive out. Tomorrow is another story. I have mail that has to go out, and I haven’t picked up anything at the post office since Friday. I also need groceries, but mostly I need to get away from here, if only for a few minutes. Half an hour, maybe. An hour, tops. I just don’t know if I’m going to make it.

Adding to my worries (and I’m a mess with worries) is that front tire that the guy at Saturn told me a couple of weeks ago wasn’t low. To me, it looks low. To me, it looks a little lower every time I look at it, and I fully intend to drive it to a gas station and pump it up, come hell or— well, come hell. High water is a given.

I spent most of the day working, some of it reading, and a few minutes wading around in the mud, trying to see what I’m up against. I used the big broom to sweep the standing water out of the garage, and I used the shovel to dig out the trench that is supposed to keep water from getting into the garage in the first place. So far, it doesn’t appear that there’s been any damage, at least none that matters. But it’s depressing; I don’t mind telling you that. It’s wearing and wearying, and I’m not up for another week of this.