We've been waiting and waiting for rain and now, by golly, we're getting it. Also wind, hail and great sound-and-light effects. It's not very cold -- about 52 F. -- but certainly dark enough to warrant turning on three energy-saving lamps in the soggiorno during the day. I do not feel the slightest guilt.
From the Internet weather map I gather that central and southern Italy are stuck in a low front that gives us a good smack, drops to lick the sole of the boot and then heads north again. It's pretty on the map -- great circles of red and yellow and green swirling around restlessly -- but real life during a country storm is largely monochromatic.
When it's raining, there's nothing to be seen in any direction. After a downpour passes, I check outside and see gray sky, gray trees, gray leaves and, of course, my gray stone house and matching metallic gray car. With luck, Harry, the red cat, runs out and momentarily forms a bright spot on the landscape.
The odd spells of clear sky and flashing sunshine that occur in this type of storm come on so suddenly that it's rather like watching The Wizard of Oz in 3-D. The land sparkles and the colors are sumptuous, but there's no time to spare. That's the instant we race outside for firewood or drive off to wherever we need to go before the next siege starts.
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