Michael: Seasonal Changes

The dreams of a dog
Through its small twitches and yips
Seem fascinating.

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Even if the windows were blacked out and you were oblivious to the sound of thousands of large water balloons being dropped on the roof, there are obvious indicators that we’ve turned the corner and are now into the rainy season here in Volcan.

Last night, for instance, we had an unexpected candlelight dinner as power outages become more frequent. Another electrical related indicator of the change of season is the overhead kitchen sink light stops operating until the dry season returns.

With the blackouts we lose the net so our evening ritual of watching Hulu or a Youtube program are occasionally replaced by downloaded books, pod casts or a game of chess. An enjoyable diversion that keeps us appreciative of the wonders of the times.

On the plus side is the return of decent water pressure. Not up to U.S. levels but strong enough to allow us to ditch the use of our supplemental pressure pump.

On a topic that I don’t like to talk much about, the rain causes a change in our toilet’s ability to operate properly. The water saturation must effect the septic tank. But this year we believe we’ve finally found a fix by not flushing after urinating. So far, so good; enough said.

Also at the beginning of the season June bugs and large beetles die off and a few field crickets come on in for sometimes noisy and thankfully short visits. I was hoping our new dog would relieve me of my duty of cricket hunter, but she seems to care less as they skirt into the house around her door side bed.

Laundry now takes longer to dry and sometimes requires a few days out whereas in the dry season a few hours will do the trick.

It does get a bit colder inside as the season wears on, and when we first moved here I considered getting a small space heater, but a hoodie works fine.

In our two and a half years here, we’ve never been trapped inside by heavy rain for more than a day or two, so we’re probably even more spoiled than we were in Southern California. In fact I didn’t realized how cold L.A. could feel until living here then heading back to visit in the winter months.

This year, for some odd reason, the small white butterflies are far more prevalent at this time of year than they have been in the past.

I feel we’ve made the small adoptions to the differences in weather here between L.A. and Volcan without too many hitches or regrets. If and where we end up next, I’m sure we’ll also have to make adjustments and there’ll be unexpected difficulties and delights. But I’m sure so long as we’re together and the dog has a place to crash, we’ll all be fine.