It has begun. The Central Mexican yearly ritual has finally arrived, a month late I might add, and life as we know it has changed and will be different for next 10-12 weeks.The rainy season is here.
I wrote about it two months ago. I told of my not-so-excited-anticipation of this yearly and, unless you want to leave and go to desert for 12 weeks, unavoidable act of God. The rainy season changes EVERYTHING.
1. When it is dry season, you can leave house on a moment's notice with nary a thought in your head about it. I mean, you can be impulsive.
"Oh, Honey let's run out and get some ice cream."
"Let's do, sweetheart and while we're out, let's go to a movie!"
"Super! Let's go!"
This little scene is on hold now for next 12 weeks.
2. You cannot leave house together—ever. Someone has to stay home, at all times, keeping vigil over leaking windows. You see, Mexican homebuilders, for reasons known surely only to Almighty, build windows to leak. Now follow me carefully here.
Central Mexico has had, since God created heavens and earth, a rainy season. Central Mexican homebuilders know this. They teach this in catechism. Nevertheless, they build windows that leak like Niagara Falls.
The pre-rainy season activity, which is sometime in middle of April, is to lay in a supply of new terrycloth towels and waterproof tape. You must have towels to stuff around windowsills and tape to plug new holes that miraculously appear each rainy season.
3. We have birds. Oh, dear God, we have birds in outside aviaries in back of our house. We have to be on alert, day and night, for tornado-strength winds, hurricane-force rain, and lighting bolts that could incinerate a bus so we can risk life and limb to keep them safe.