Monday, March 09, 2009

It's raining mud!

Those who have been here before understand through experience what it's like to have mud falling in huge droplets from the sky.

I'd never before experienced this phenomenon.

Think midwestern United States urban snowy roads, several days after the snow had fallen, but before it's had a chance to melt completely. The mud gets aerosolized and easily (and quickly) coats windshields of cars.

Messy.

Dangerous driving, if coupled with fog, and windshield wipers that need replacing, and/or a wiper fluid reservoir that should have been filled up before leaving, but wasn't.

I do not miss urban snow at all, for that reason (among others).

We've had some high winds and blowing dust/sand, now that the weather is heating up. Those conditions make it more difficult for me to get around, when I'm outside the wire, and make it much more likely that SFC McG and I could get stranded someplace because our transportation isn't able to collect us and bring us home.

Not long ago, it was another of those days when the dust is so thick that in midafternoon it looks like twilight, and after sunset it's as difficult (and dangerous) to drive as if in thick Tule fog in the Central Valley of California. [It's pronounced 'too-li'.]

Couple that with a steady but not too heavy rain shower, and voila! it's raining mud.

It's one thing to be in the car when this is going on, but quite another thing altogether to be walking around in it, each raindrop jam-packed with all those particles of God-knows-what suspended / dissolved in what otherwise would be just ordinary water.

After having been stranded overnight -- without benefit of a shower -- I'd been looking forward to finishing my work day so I could clean up before going to bed. But just the act of walking from the office to my CHU (containerized housing unit) in the midst of the mudstorm left me feeling slimy and grimy from head to foot.

Boy, was that shower welcome!

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Father Tim,

You remain in prayers.

With peace and blessings to you,

Luis

 
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