Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Weather!

When I was teaching Third Grade at Bancroft School, in Worcester, Massachusetts, we usually did a unit on keeping a journal. Not so much a diary, which is personal, but a record of events in their lives. Our models were the journals kept by the New England farmers that we studied as part of our Central Subject. When kids were stuck with what to write about, I would remind them that those old farmers often wrote about what was most important to them, the weather. So, look out the window and write about what you see! In New England, if you don't like the weather, wait a minute. (Mark Twain?)

Here in El Salvador, the weather has a different pattern. First, it's summery all the time; second, it rains half the year, and is dry the other half. There are transition periods in between the two seasons, of course, when it might rain on any given day, or maybe not.   We are in that shift now, headed for rainy days after Easter (Semana Santa, the whole week is a celebration).  In addition, locals all have some weather lore about November being windy or April being extra hot; those patterns are still a mystery to me. But no one expected what happened last night and what has continued all day.

As I was going to bed I noticed that it was getting a little breezy. The cats were getting a little skittish about all the noises outside, and an unstopped door nearly chopped off a tail. When I was finally settled in to bed, another voice joined the chorus. A large metal gate in the backyard had not been secured, so of course it added an unpredictable base note as it whacked against the frame. Cursing whoever had left it open (not me), I got dressed and padded downstairs to lock it. When I opened the front door, I was greeted with a sharp blast of, dare I say it, cool air! As the winds had risen, the temperature had dropped.

Since it had been in the mid 90's at the pool when we went for a swim after school, this coolishness
was a pleasant surprise! We were in no danger of frostbite, though; it was probably between 60 to 65.
With the gate secured, I went back to bed, but noticed that the trees were raging wildly as the wind continued. With all of the background noises, it was not  a restful night of sleep. In the morning, which was a very early one, since we wake up in time to hear Emily's radio program on WHPK (5AM), a flashing clock indicated that we had lost power for at least a few minutes. I guess I did get some sleep, because I never noticed that the overhead fan had stopped.

The real surprise came when we headed down to school. The air was clear and shining with light. The sun was warm, but the lack of humidity was refreshing. The wind had moderated a bit, but gusts were frequent and strong. Throughout the day, the wind has continued, it's been warm, but the humidity has not returned. The locals are all scratching their heads. This is Autumn weather, not Spring. I missed October in New England, so I'll take whatever Fall I can get!!

I've had some adventures in downtown San Salvador, and many photos are ready to post.

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