Sorry for this saga, but I think it’s a good Henry and Nala story. Keep in mind, this happened around 1 am.

Last night all hell broke loose. First, Henry ran out the door far faster than I’ve ever seen him run. Nala was asleep but woke up in an instant when Henry ran. She followed him outside. I knew something was up so I took the leash with me and went outside to check. I saw Henry running on the deck between the chairs. He was frantic. I was finally able to grab him and put on the leash. We went inside. Nala was still outside and was barking and barking which is so unusual. She seldom barks. I went back outside to the deck. Henry tried to follow me, but he couldn’t as I closed the door behind me. Nala was running through the chairs as Henry had, but she kept going to the same place. She kept jumping at the deck rail. I could hear a weird sound. I looked and could see a young possum sitting in one of the flower pots. He hissed every time Nala jumped at him. I was afraid she’d catch him so I moved the chair to block her from the poor scared baby. She has caught possums before and never lets go of them. She runs the yard with the poor animal in her mouth, and I never can grab her so I had to capture her before she got this possum. Finally I grabbed her and put on the leash. She kept trying to take off on me. I wrapped part of the leash around her body and held it as I forced her to move toward door. It wasn’t easy. Finally we were inside, and I shut the door. Nala was panting. She kept hitting the bells on the door to tell me she wanted out as if I’d let her out. It took her a long time to calm down. It took me a while too.

The first thing Nala did this morning was run to the back deck. The possum was gone. I, of course, had checked before I let her out.

We’ve had rain the last few days. Everything is still wet. The air is thick. It is only 70°. It will be cloudy all day, but no rain is predicted. As with every cloudy day, the roads will be clogged with tourists looking for a way to spend the day. I have to go out as I have a concert. I’ll have to use all back roads.

This morning I am behind my time. The day is dark and rainy, a soft rain, a quiet rain. Taking my time to read the paper, to do the puzzles and to enjoy my toast and coffee just seemed the perfect way to appreciate the morning.

The rain started yesterday morning around 3:15. First came the far off rumbling thunder. Lightning was next. The thunder kept getting louder and closer until it was over the house. One rumble shook the house, and we all jumped, Henry, Nala and I. Lighting out the back door lit up the kitchen. When the rain finally came, it was a heavy rain blunting all other sounds. We went to bed with the rain all around us.

Yesterday the rain was intermittent, but it started in ernest last night. It stayed around. The hot days have given way to the cooler rain. It is only 69° right now. The rain will be around all day.

When I was a kid, I loved the heavy summer rain. The water in the gutters was so fast it jumped over rocks and debris as if it were a sort of domestic white water. I’d walk barefoot through the gutter kicking up the water, pounding it with my feet. I’d get soaked.

I loved the rainy season in Ghana. Everything was green, the crops were high and the air was redolent. It rained just about every day, but it never stopped anyone. The market ladies still sold their wares. Farmers worked in their fields. Villagers walked on laterite back roads barely wide enough for one car. Fields with ripening millet and corn lined the sides of the roads. I’d sit outside my front door and watch the rain. I never tired of the rain.