It was a Sunday when the first storm hit. Jennifer and I had planned on a beach day, but the weather report said 90% chance of rain. It was a cloudy misty morning, but then the sun came out. Too late to arrange a beach day. I had about given up on the rain and was headed to bed when suddenly it started to pour around 10:00. Of course I had to pour myself another Scotch to sit up under my cabana and watch the rain, thunder and lightning. (was that my third or fourth Scotch? I do not remember) It rained every night after that (from 2 to 5 inches).
My street flooded almost immediately, mainly because the priest of my church had decided he wanted a raised walk way from his house across the street from the church. He closed the street to all traffic for two days, while pouring the concrete. Did he get a permit to close the street and pour concrete over the hand laid cobble stones? (probably not!) This priest seems to do what ever he wants. Last year he decided he wanted a little park out side the church. He created it in the street eliminating parking and causing problems for traffic. His walk way forms a lake that fills the entire intersection. There is no way to cross the street except on his little walk way. Bur often a car will park across the walk, making it impossible to cross the street. I feel sorry for the guy who has his stand for making churros on the corner. He now has to stand in the water while frying them. Churros are deep fried dough in lard covered in sugar and cinnamon. (not a calorie in a carload) They are sort of like long skinny donuts Did the priest do it to keep his robe clean and dry? He does nothing for the poor and homeless. I am sure he hates all non Catholics, and atheists (like myself) but he does love that church. Besides his new walk way he has added huge slabs or marble flooring and fourteen new stain glass windows depicting Christ and various saints. Besides Christ on the front of the church the side window facing me is Saint Veronica (who in the Hell was she? or maybe who in Heaven is she?)
All winter the river continue to dry up leaving just a trickle of water. The rains start in the mountains so the river began to rise long before the storm hit here. It turns a mild chocolate color with all the mud from the mountains. Where the river meets the sea there is a huge brown cloud. I always go way south when I go to the beach to avoid the river and all the drainage ditches. I never go in the water anyway, but I have been warned against it during the rainy season. It isn't just mud that flows into the sea, but all the garbage and debris in the streets washes straight out to sea, It almost exclusively rains at night, so in the morning the streets are almost dry (well except for the lake created by the priest) So I can go to the gym, or do my shopping and not worry about the rain. I do not go out in a down pour. I am not afraid of getting wet, but crossing the cobble stone streets is hazardous when dry, let along under several inches or water.
I love the rain for many reasons. The most obvious is that I do not have to water all of my 36 potted plants, but it also washes down my deck. During the long dry winter I hose the deck down twice a week at least and every Tuesday (when the taco stand is closed) I hose the balcony. My water bill during the winter exceeds my electric bill. One of the nicest things is that it cuts down on the dust. All winter a black dust covers everything. One would think I lived next to a coal mine. I am not sure if it is the exhaust from the cars, trucks, and buses, or from chewed up tires from driving on cobble stones and pot holes. But now there is very little of it and I love that. Best of all is sitting up under my cabana and watch the water pour off my asbestos roof. Yes, it is asbestos. One day a visitor reached up and touched it and screamed, "My God, it is asbestos!" I replied, "Well try to resist your urge to lick it" I can sit there while the rain falls like a water fall and see my beautiful garden and then the wonderful light and sound show. Sometimes the lightning comes so fast it looks like strobe lights. Occasionally the lightning is so close I can hear the crack immediately followed by a huge thunder clap. What fun!
Kitty is not so found of the rain. She comes in screaming looking up at my with those big blue eyes She seems to think I can turn it off. Oddly, the thunder and lightning do not bother her at all. She will be curled up asleep and not even open one eye ball. She just does not like to get wet. I used to lock her up on the terrace where she is safe and dry with nice cushioned chairs to sleep in. She is not so fond of that anymore for she can no longer get off my terrace. She used to cross to the neighbors terrace and go down their outside staircase to the balcony railing which wraps around the corner. But I have a new neighbor with a huge dog. He looks like a wolf and barks with his elbows on the railing. Kitty is fierce, but no match for that dog. I intend to drop a few hints to our landlord. He is a sweet dog, but I think they must chain him on the roof sometimes. I can hear him howling. Why would he be up there, if he could get under cover? The place is a pig sty as well. I have made a bed for kitty with some of my old sweaty T shirts, but she will have nothing to do with it. Kitty wants to be where ever she wants to be and to Hell with what I want. One night I could not get her to go down stairs. I kept coaxing her with opening and closing the door. She just played with the door putting her paws under it. I finally gave up and left her there. The next morning I opened the patio door and then went down to fix her breakfast. She did not appear. I went back up and heard her mewing but could not see her. I thought maybe she was on the roof, or at the neighbors, but the sound was coming from the floor. I found her trapped under an equipali chair. They are very heavy. How in the world could she lift one and get under it? I still have no explanation.
If this story sounds familiar to you, you would be correct. It was not until I had almost finish it that I had the same impression. Sure enough I wrote a story about the rain about one year ago. Well, what can I tell you. I am very old and we intend to repeat ourselves. Besides I was not going to let all my work be wasted and I have nothing else to write about. So here it is. Enjoy!
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As usual your humor is special. You write so well. "Kitty" sound like home is where Larry is. Summer has arrived here and 104 degrees is way beyond my liking. School starts Aug. 14th and it will still be hot.
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