Rainy Season Fun

Not too many new interesting things have happened in my life recently. Rainy season began in March and is still in full swing here. The other day it rained so hard, the sidewalks flooded and children were forced to hop gingerly around the school on the heels of their shoes to avoid soaking their socks. On Friday, it poured so hard that I couldn't be heard above the roar of the rain on the corrugated metal roof. And still the storms keep coming. As a result, there has been a lot of lightning. Since the power grid here can't handle lightning strikes, they shut off the power every time there's a thunderstorm. There have been a lot of thunderstorms the past few nights, so I've been going without power a lot. Instead, I wander around the house with my headlamp on. It certainly makes cooking interesting. Caroline and I do it by candlelight. Occasionally, since Caroline does not have a headlamp, she will ask me to look at things or stand next to her if she needs more light. I am a walking street lamp.

In addition to the blackouts, the rainy season has brought fire ants and, if it is possible, even more termites. The table in my bedroom has an ever-growing pile of sawdust under it. I have tried getting rid of the termites with Baygon, a terrible-smelling insecticide, but to no avail. I guess I just have to live with them. Also, I detest the use of insecticides, which has made it easier to give up the fight.

The ants have been even more terrible. Yesterday Caroline and I got home from school to find that the jar of peanut butter we left on the counter was totally engulfed in ants. Really. I took a picture of it. The whole outside of the jar was a mass of red ants. Running from the jar to the window was a highway of them. It was most inconvenient to cook last night, as fire ants always assume that it is you getting in their way. When you make them angry, they bite you, sometimes leaving small blood blisters. This in addition to the blackout last night made trying to get dinner an experience. I did what I could to lure them outside, but it wasn't enough. I would have actually condoned the use of Baygon on those nasty little brutes, but the night before last Caroline used the last of it on a cockroach.