Down Came the Rain in Torrents...

Rain puddling in the backyard.

We just experienced four days in a row without rain. I think this may be our record since November, when the rainy season began.

I wasn’t sure what to think about the rainy season, when it was beginning, or what my expectations should be. I wasn’t sure I would like it; it sounded sort of gloomy & mouldy & like I would be wet all the time. And yes, there were gloomy days; some of our furniture took on a mouldy smell; our kitchen cupboards began moulding until we had lightbulbs installed in the cupboards to counteract the dampness; I got wet occasionally.

Sarah tests her rain gear under the eves-trough.

But the rainy season was not all bad. Most mornings were still bright and sunny, and often our laundry could dry on the line in the time between breakfast and lunch. The grass grew greener and trees sprouted fresh leaves. The temperatures were cooler, and usually cooled down even more every day when the rain began to fall. Some days I even put on socks and a sweater. The rain came somewhat predictably most days, beginning around lunchtime or early afternoon (lucky for me, I had classes in the morning, so the rain rarely affected my short drive to & from class). And I have a very good set of raingear – jacket & pants – which kept me remarkably dry even when I was out in the rain.

Rainy weather sort of reminded me of wet snowy wintery weather, and when I curled up on the couch with a book, a mug of tea, and my socks, with the Christmas tree lights glowing in the corner, I could imagine it was winter.

Partway through rainy season, I aquired a rain guage. I have not been keeping an ongoing precipitation record, but I have noted that 1 ½” of rain a day is not unusual. One day we got a lot of rain, and I was very disappointed to realize that I had not emptied the rain guage the day before. However, I am quite sure that there was less than an inch in it from the day before—certainly less than 1 ½” – and the next day the guage filled up to 4 ½”! That means we got at least 3” (probably more like 3 ½) of rain in one day! Wow!

See the chicken stalking quickly through the puddles?

All that rain could mean trouble in some places, and the capital city here did have some severe flooding earlier in the season. But our city is built at the foot of a mountain and the water just flows merrily on its way. There are deep gutters beside every street and they usually do a pretty good job of channeling the water away. At times they get full and overflow, and water courses down the roadways. But the water subsides as quickly as it rises, and everything returns to normal for the rest of the day.

I didn’t mind rainy season at all, actually. However, these past few dry & sunny days have reminded me that the dry season will be a nice change, too. They make it feel like summer is on its way!