It's been one of the wettest Aprils on record, but Monday's sun meant people who work outside were finally able to complete some of the tasks they had to put on hold.
"Constant battle. We're always battling the weather," said East Lyme Park Foreman Jason Alves.
Alves and his crew used Monday's welcomed day of sunshine to paint the soccer, lacrosse and baseball fields, and mow them. If they can, they'll start in early April. It's early May.
"Everything's underwater," Alves laughed.
Enjoying A Sunny Break in the Rainy Weather
A few baseball games and a softball game were canceled Monday to get the tasks done, according to Alves.
"We have the soccer lines down. They should be playable in a day or so pending any more rain," Alves said.
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East Lyme resident Denise Scaplen soaked up the sun on her walk in Niantic Monday. As a professional gardener, she called the wet weather "draining."
"A lot of the bulbs are dying, people are complaining about their plants. But it's just so wet," Scaplen said.
When the weather is this nice, people could finally break for lunch outside including customers at Tony D's Craft Creamery.
"April has been very brutal, but today the sun's shining. So I feel a little optimistic today," owner Anthony D'Angelo said.
D'Angelo had staff planting flowers and customers buying ice cream. His hope is that May brings more of this kind of weather. He opened for the season on April 13 .
"We've had two sunny days so far. This is the third," D'Angelo said.
A favorite spring activity for many is gardening. But the ground has been so saturated from all the rain in April and the beginning of May.
"Normally I get started earlier than this, but the weather has been too cold, too rainy," said Karen Simpson of Waterford.
Monday could be the day she finally made a purchase at Smith's Acres in Niantic.
"I've been here a few times already, holding off waiting to buy things because the weather isn't quite there yet. But I'm shopping," Simpson laughed.
Owner Teri Smith said there's plenty that is safe to plant. But the number one question she's been getting from customer's is, "when the heck is the rain going to stop?"
"The ground is soggy. We had a tractor stuck in the mud this week," Smith said.
They planted corn Monday and Smith is concerned the ground might be too wet and cold.
"I worry that maybe the corn is going to rot," said said, adding they'll replant in a few days.
But there is some silver lining to the recent weather, according to Smith.
"The good news is, because it's been cloudy and overcast lately, there hasn't been frost for weeks and weeks," she said.
Since the sun came to play, so did Amy Saucier's kids at McCook Point Beach.
"I have four kids of my own and I watch my nieces sometimes," Saucier said. "It's nice to have the weather participate with us."
They've had some cabin fever from all the rain. Monday was the first day of the season they got their feet in the sand.
"Awesome. We are so ready for good weather," Saucier said. "This is what we needed."
