It started like any other rainstorm. I was debating about driving over to a friend's house as I'd told her I would before 4pm. I looked at my watch and then at the rain pounding down. It was after 3 already, but I've only been driving in Nigeria since Wednesday, and I hate driving in the rain, regardless of my country. So I sent a short text to my friend explaining and asking if I could come by later.
There was a crash on the roof just then. A light pitter-patter, and then the sound of hundreds of small bangs on the corrugated zinc overhead. I've lived here long enough to recognise the sound of hail, and I peered outside. Hailstones the size of cherries were littering the yard. Cool! I got out my camera, but just then I saw Zoë dart past me into the bedroom and under the empty bedframe. Poor thing!
So I knelt down, grabbed her, and held her close, trying to reassure her. I don't think it worked very well. Her eyes remained wide, her ears perked and slightly flattened back. So I let her go. She scrambled out of my arms and ran back under the bed, and I went to fix her some milk. (We only have powdered milk here, not fresh milk.) She remained hidden, so I finally went onto the porch to take photos. By then, though, the hail--which was still falling but more intermittently--had begun to melt. I snapped a few pictures and went back in to keep my camera dry.
David came home from the hospital just as the hail seemed to be entirely dissipating, and just before a downpour of heavy rain. Now he's tending to our buckets under the eaves, getting soaked while trying to catch as much water as possible. What a hero!
(written Saturday, 5 May 2007; 15:51)
We rarely have rain here and we do the same thing, to catch the water.
ReplyDeleteHere's the post link with photos...
http://mcbenningschool.blogspot.com/2007/04/rain.html
I titled it rain and wrote it on april 29.