Rainy season

It's rainy season here in Windhoek. It has rained virtually everyday for the past month or more. Hard to keep track...but it makes it difficult to dry the clothes, for sure. The rain comes at interesting times, often in the middle of the night. One is frequently awakened by loud claps of thunder followed by down pours that put the rain to shame in Louisiana. We even experienced hail a couple of weeks ago. Hard to believe that it hails in Africa, but it does. Fortunately, there aren't any tornados although the wind can get to whipping really hard on occasion. The most interesting aspect about the season is that the city, being so dry for most of the year, hasn't got a whole lot of bridges. Windhoek is an exceedingly hilly place and the water collects in many of the little valleys as is the case of the street that leads out of our neighborhood. It dips down into the path of the river that runs from Avis Dam. When the reservoir fills, an automatic sluice gate opens releasing water into the rivulets. Hebenstreit strasse, the main route to our complex, crosses one such rivulet and makes for an adventure just going to the local market, school or into town. Fortunately, as my husband continuously reminds me, we've got our tank, ole Bess, who has no trouble fording her way across. Often times, we will come across pedestrians who flag us down wanting us to ferry them across. It saddens me that I can't help them, but they always seem to manage to find someone who can. All these rains have made the countryside in and around Windhoek very lush and green. The scenery is far different now than when we first arrived and everything was dry and brown. Emma has even got a few tomato plants into the ground which are already sporting tiny fruit. Her herbs in the pot on the front step are ready for use and the birds are in full force enjoying the fruits of nature's bounty. Augustus is conducting his science project on the different types of bird species in our backyard, so we have all been involved in watching, photographing and identifying them. We've seen at least twenty different species most of which are quite spectatular and exotic---many with long tails and vivid colors. This is truly a bird watcher's paradise and we've all developed a new hobby.