Rain Down

Yesterday at the Extended Child Care Centre at San Lazaro's Hospital our morning was interrupted by smoke and sirens. A fire had broken out no more than a couple hundred meters from the ECCC and was quickly gulping down some poor victim's property. The reply from the fire department was impressively fast and in 20 minutes from the time we first observed the fire in its rage, the smoke was reduced to a steaming haze.
Some members from Palliative Care were holding a meeting in the upstairs of the ECCC and came to watch as well.
These doctors and associates are working on a horticulture program at the hospital. Their mission statement is something like, "promoting Horticulture, toward healing and wholeness". I like horticulture and wholeness, so naturally I'm excited about what they are doing. The fact that they want to start right at ECCC is also exciting. Mind you, some rain would be nice. I had cleaned up the "yard" on Wednesday, which was like sweeping a dust pit. Grass is an incredible thing for its resiliency, but vegetables will need a little more tender loving care when they are planted or transplanted in.

The weather seems to have been pushing limits: just when you think it can not get any hotter, it does. Sometimes over the past weeks lighting would be seen to be flashing in a corner of the sky or thunder would roll. Rain, however, would not come with it- or, if it did, would not stay long. As if teasing, the pressure builds, but never really releases.

I am told that this year is exceptionally hot: even over the top for Filipinos. Something to do with El Nino I'm told. The advantage for me is that I do not know any different.

A few hours after the fire, thunder began to roar outside. Its sound was of epic proportions. I was struck with the surreal realization that the sound I was hearing was something I had only heard on TV and Movies. When we get thunder storms on the west coast they come with the tantalizing long powerful rolls that we are familiar with. Here the thunder was probably louder and clapped and banged with dynamics that left me amazed.
But would rain follow?

This time it did. Noli and I stood outside and watched it. Then noli revealed that he had been given seeds by the Palliative care people, to plant in the yard. Now that it had rained he could get started. Maybe string beans to start. I liked the sound of that. String beans are easy to grow, produce lots of fruit and are high in nutritious value. They are nice green shrub to look at too.
It rained off and on again into the evening. Good hard rain. Just loud enough to drown out the sound of the ground drinking and making merry.
The night was gloriously cool, and the morning too.

My body had been wanting exercise, and when the morning started so cool i took it to go for a run. This was a good idea for the first half of the run.
The funny thing about acclimatising, at least for me, is you stop exactly noticing the heat. You still feel it, but you don't necessarily feel "hot". You just notice indicators like sweat and the fact that you've drank 4 litres of water in 4 hours, or that the freezer can't keep up with the amount of ice cubes you are going through. And on my run, I did not really realize how hot it really had become until I stopped to walk the last length home.
It was hot. And I was ridiculously drenched in sweat.
Coming in the door, I was met by one of the kids, who looked at me with a confused look that asked, "do I know you?"
"Where were you?" she asked.
"I was running"
"Why are you all wet?"
"Because I was running fast... and its hot"
She is looking at me still but doesn't seem to understand or believe what I'm saying.
"Did you take a shower?"

On a cooler note, the current weather at home; 14. Incidentally, the same temperature it is in Yellowknife!
Is it possible to miss wearing a hoodie? I think so. I put one on this week despite the heat, just to feel cozy.
Is it possible to miss wearing a t-shirt and cut off jeans? Some of you wouldn't know since its all you have ever worn. Crazy Canucks.