Rain!!

It came! Rain!

We had some small rain the day we left for Kenya (3/19), but it was dry while we left. The villagers are digging down 6 to 8 feet into the riverbed for their water. The cows need to have food brought to them, since there is so little to graze. The earth is parched. The temperatures are still over 110, and over 90 in the parlor. But…

Yesterday at 4 am, a HUGE wind started to blow. It woke us up with the sound of large deposits of dust hitting the tin roof, and the wind rattling it like a fast moving train. Within about ten minutes, the rain began. We got up to enjoy the awesome power of it, to drink in the lovely smell, and because we couldn't have slept! Actually, if he tried, Devin probably could have, but not me.

I sat on the steps while Devin prepared cups of tea for us which Stephanie Harris gave us from Burundi. We have propane for the stove, but the storm took out the power for the coffee pot. Tea was perfect! The rain slowed to a drizzle after fifteen minutes or so, but it was still spectacular to watch. The night sky directly above was clear and we could see Orion. To our left, there was a wonderful lightning show. It was dancing high in the clouds and there was a constant, but very faint, rumble of thunder very far off. The flashes were constant, just varying in location and brightness. Each time they silhouetted the tall, sparse trees in front of us in a different way, giving it all a moving picture feel.

After a half hour or so, the rain began again with a vengeance. We had pulled out our dining chairs and were really enjoying the scene, and were getting lightly sprayed by the gusts of wind carrying the fountain of rain off the roof. We were in our robes, and drinking tea, and NOT EVEN SWEATING. As the storm moved over us from left to right, the thunder became louder and the streaks of lightning became more and more visible, stretching across huge expanses of sky. The sun started lighting the sky and we could see the familiar line of the eastern hills as the storm rolled over them with its booming thunder.

The boys finally joined us at about 6:30, telling us they woke up at 4 and couldn't sleep since. Their behavior throughout yesterday indicated that was probably true. Something – probably a type of termite or wood ant – bloomed and the air became filled with flying bugs. A few more sprinkles fell off and on until 9. The temperatures probably only reached the mid-90s! We spent a lot more time outside than we have since late January.

This morning there is a 4-foot circle of green grass out our back door.