Dry Spell

There was a slight drizzle this morning. A most welcome development since Summer officially started in February.

It has been hot and humid for the past 2 months. The El Nino phenomenon has been wreaking havoc from north to south. Rice paddies have caked and ruined the rice crops. River beds are drying up. Fish are floating belly-up dead on rivers and fish ponds all because there has been no rain for weeks.

It's such a strange occurence for a country like the Philippines because we are an archipelago. We are surrounded by water. Months ago, we were the focus of world attention because we were deluged with floods brought on by Ondoy. Lately, there's been not a drop of rain... the horrors of climate change!

It's so cool at night though because all the humidity escapes through the atmosphere. What do you expect? There aren't any clouds in the sky that would block the noxious fumes and toxic gasses from seeping through the atmosphere.

So while I spend my days sweating even while lounging motionless into a chaise, my glorious nights are spent in dreamless slumber sans the aid of an aircon nor an electric fan. I don't know which to be thankful for - the fact that I wake up late because I've enjoyed my rest or the fact that it's so energy-sapping humid in the daytime that it turns out to be cool in the evenings.



In all this I can tell the Universe is fair! Ah, the balance of life- you can't have the cool evenings without the humid days. I was enjoying a light banter with my brother the other day about purchasing an inflatable pool. Since there's not enough room for a swimming pool in my home, an inflatable would be perfect for those days when you can just stow it away. But what does one do with all that water that you've saved up and dipped in to ease away the heat?

Use it to water the plants, flush the toilet, mop the floor with, bathe the dog in.
In these hot summer days when Manila's water system has it's foundations in the late Spanish colonial era (1882 to be exact), water distribution is still a big issue of class division. The exclusive enclaves of the rich have homes with abundant water and filtered swimming pools and the rest of the city's poor souls have to live witha slight trickle.

Be kind to the planet...Save Water!