Mucha lluvia (lots of rain)

I do have to talk about the weather as it has been extraordinary. My last post was just the beginning as it has been literally raining ever since. I’m beginning to wonder if we have a shot at the record (40 days and 40 nights). On Monday I discovered that there is someone just a couple of miles away in Riberas who has a detailed weather site (http://chapalaweather.net/ ) with all kinds of information. On the site he says that in January 2009, there was no measurable rain and February about 4 mm. (.13 in). From Jan. - May, 2008, there was about 9 mm (.33 in) and in 2009 for the same period, there was 31 mm (1.21 in). The average for this 5 months is 52 mm. (2.1 in) and I expect most of that came in May as there are usually a couple of early rains in May. So far in 2010 (and it is still raining at 7 p.m.), the total is 110 mm. (4.3 in). Without the sun (except for a brief period on Monday), the temperatures outside have been about 13 - 14º C. The indoor temps have been about 17 -18º C. That is not too bad (allthough it is damp and one feels it more than when dry); we have had to put on sweaters and other warm clothes from up north, rather than my usual shorts and sandals! I am not complaining too much as we have been hearing about the dreadful weather that has been unleashed on most of the rest of the continent to the north (remember that Mexico is part of North America). The forecast is possible rain tomorrow, but sunny after that.

During the early morning hours today, the power went out. When we went to the tianguis (the outdoor market) at about noon, it still hadn’t come on. There were only about half as many sellers in the rain and even fewer customers. However, we did replenish our fruits and veggies for the week. We had taken the car because of the rain and dropped in on Kate & Jack for a few minutes to see how they are coping. Kate’s friend of many years ago arrived from Texas on Monday; thus, she has seen nothing but rain. Nevertheless, their spirits were not too bad. When we returned home about 2, the power was on. Because we have gas cooking, we were able to cook porridge and make coffee. The biggest drawback of lack of power is that one doesn’t have power for the water pump and the toilet. Actually, it is not terrible because I can take a bucket out to the ajibe (cistern) and get water for flushing.

After being couped up all day, yesterday afternoon we decided to go to el cine (movie theatre) to see the current Sherlock Holmes movie. As usual, it was in English with Spanish sub-titles. The latter is distracting because I like to see how they translate some of the dialogue, but if I do, I tend to fall behind on what is being said. Very interesting though. Because we went before 4 p.m., the tickets were 20 pesos each (about $1.70 at current exchange rates). We don’t go very often (I missed Avatar when it was here; maybe it will come back after the Oscars). However, 2 Saturdays ago we took the 3 niñas to see Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. It was dubbed into Spanish without English subtitles; thus, we could keep up with the storyline, but didn’t get all the jokes.

Because it didn’t rain on Monday until after 5, the men did get work done then, but have not been able to do anything the last 2 days They are at the stage where they need to weld the steel beams for the roof of the bodega; as they use electric arc welding, it is hazardous to try in rain. One positive thing about the rain is that it is undoubtedly raising the level of Lake Chapala. Because of the lighter than usual rain last summer, the level has been lower this year than last.