Dry Season

It’s been months. Except for one early morning shower-surprise, it has been months since we have had any rain. During rainy season this was the ideal we longed for—relief from all the mud and water and power outages and fierce storms. But now we’re singing a different tune: “Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!”

When the rain goes, the heat comes. Here in Mzuzu it is sunny and about 95 during the day. But we are at 4,500 feet so the altitude saves us. In fact, it cools down into the 60's most every night. But like our friends in Southern California we get a kick out of whining about “one damn sunny day after another!”

Along the shore of Lake Malawi, at near sea level, things are different. At the Lakeshore it's HOT. As high as 120+ degrees F. The sun feels like it is burning your skin after only 2 minutes exposure. Coming from the northern Adirondacks this is a new experience for us. Even when we visit the capital, Lilongwe, the buildings radiate the heat they have saved up all day, all night. The crowds feel bigger, the trucks louder, the tolerance level lower. Bare feet burn on hot pavement. When the power goes out the fans go off and then the heat closes in. But then, only 6 percent of Malawians have power anyway.

And the DUST. On our early morning walks (we walk at around 5:30am when it is cool) we are occasionally passed by a truck or car. The dust stirred up by the passing vehicle settles on your hair, your skin, your clothes – it's pretty grimy. The redness of the soil seems to be ground into our feet and under our nails. Even the dog is dusty – great clouds emanating from his fur when we pet him. When it's windy, swirls of dust dance across the road and scurry along into the bush.

Now add fire and smoke. Virtually everyone everywhere sets brush fires during dry season. Instead of mulching they burn. One organic farmer compares it to burning the family jewels. As a result, smoke is ubiquitous. Not a day goes by during dry season when the air is not polluted with smoke. Some days the Malawi country side could compete with Los Angeles for poorest air quality.

An upside of this season is things dry really fast. When hung outside, the laundry is dry in 20 minutes. Anything I hang in the house to dry will dry almost as quickly. It's actually quite amazing. But my flowers are drying out as well. I am watering 2 times a day but, except for a few hardy plants, I am losing the battle.

Yes, we long for rain. Not too much, mind you. Not the fierce storms drowning crops and washing away every remnant of topsoil that happens to be hanging around. Not the relentless downpours gouging away roads and clogging the hydro power intakes so we have no power for long periods. Not the raging torrents felling trees that take down the already tenuous power lines. No, we long for just enough rain to keep the dust and the temperature down and bring the crops up.

So, a little rain is needed here. Of course, it’s not expected before December, and even then, you never know. Like weather anywhere, we are at the whim of nature. What we really hope for is the right amount of rain at the right time so this year's corn crop will do well and Malawi will have food enough for another year.