“There will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting.” George Carlin – American stand-up comedian, actor and author.
On the first day – What is that I hear? Could it be thunder rolling across the sky and rain falling on our clay tile roofs? We won’t have to water our gardens today. Looks like a great time to curl up with a book or work with the photographs we’ve taken or simply sit on the porch and enjoy the quiet time. We can still go out. We’ll simply add an umbrella to our layers of clothing.
On the second day – My gosh it’s still raining. We are beginning to see small rivers building on the streets. We are on a hill consequently all water journeys to Lake Chapala. While there is some concern about pollution – commercial and residential run off and the fact that there are veritable islands of sea weed chocking the lake, it is still interesting to watch the water heading back to one of the largest lakes in Mexico.
The weather gives us an opportunity to watch the lake from our mirador – gray against the stormy, cloud filled sky. Palms blowing in the breeze and all of nature fed by this gift from the rain gods.
On the third day – Look at that there are actual streams developing as rain water runs off everything it touches. The saturation level has been met. You begin to wonder if you step in one of the streams will you too be deposited into beautiful Lake Chapala.
On the fourth day – you begin repeating the cobblestone idiom again – if I want to look I can’t walk. Because of the wetness we must take into account the “slippy slide” effect. Cobblestones are a challenge under dry conditions – when wet they are tantamount to cruising for a bruising…as you slid butt-first to town central. Not a particularly graceful way to make an entrance into one of the lovely café’s that dot the square.
On the fifth day – we decide we need to go out regardless of how wet it is. To our amazement there are actual waterfalls gushing from various places that, though fascinatingly interesting, weren’t there before – if memory serves correct. Forging ahead, people, though wet and soggy, go about their lives with determination and fortitude. The phase “what’s with all the rain” is often heard spewing from the mouths of visitors as well as locals. Industrious sales people not only have rugs, purses, toys, etc strapped to their backs they have added the obligatory “bumpershoots” (my Welsh background surfacing) and windshield wipers to the list of sale items.
One fellow, with windshield wipers in hand, grabbed our wipers – once we stopped the car thank goodness – and held us hostage for the better part of five minutes trying to complete a sale.
Have we angered the rain gods in some way? Isn’t the rainy season, according to my research, supposed to take place between May and October? Are the gods not aware there are snow birds down here that have left cold and gloomy climes to feel the hot sun?
For heaven sakes, it now looks like we have an infinity pool in our backyard. If either of us decided to take a swim it could be dangerous for our neighbors. Jumping into the pool would most certainly cause a title wave of gushing water. Said neighbors would have to exit their houses and traverse their property via canoe as walking would not be an option.
The sun has risen today. The ark we started for lack of better things to do will lay dormant, we hope, until May!
Not even an inch to spare.
No wiggle room.
Our new roses are enjoying the rain.
