Monsoon Season, I'm sorry. Please come back

It's been a horrible monsoon season.  When you live in the desert, rain is good.  Rain is GOD.  This time last year, we were inundated with storms.  We haven't been blessed with heavy rain in months.  We've been side swiped by storms or have seen them in the distance.  But no glorious rain.

Last night was a side swipe. We got an excellent show to the east of us though.  I set the camera and the automatic timer up and watered my front yard.

Until a rattlesnake raised the alarm and tried to give me a coronary.  Blessedly, he didn't strike at me, nor did Elly try to go to at it.  She seems to have learned her lesson.  Unfortunately for the snake, trespassing is strictly enforced. 

After dispatching the snake, I set up again, and caught a few more shots.  The storm broke east and the strikes were so close, they washed out the frames.  I tucked my tail and went inside when the sand blew in and it was apparently the lightening was minutes away from me.