Posted tagged ‘Pennywise’

“Let the rain kiss you, Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops, Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”

July 25, 2025

The wonderfully cool days and nights are done, kaput, over. We now have that heat wave which has been working its way across the country. It is already 84° and will get hotter. The only saving grace is the possibility of thunder showers in the late afternoon. It has been a long while since rain.

I love dramatic rain with its thunder and lightning. I love the sound of the pouring rain hitting the doors and windows. It’s raining cats and dogs comes to mind. There seems no connection between the rain and the cats and dogs, but we all know what it means. I even have a night light of cats and dogs falling in the rain. I am hoping to see those idiomatic falling animals late this afternoon.

I loved the rainy season in Ghana. It rained almost every day. Some storms were heavy, but most were light, the sort which don’t interfere with going to town to the market. In the market, women sat in the rain under umbrellas to sell their wares, but I never saw Ghanaians walking under an umbrella. I didn’t either. Getting wet was cooling.

My classrooms and my house had tin roofs. I wish my house now did. When it rained and hit the tin roof, the sound seemed to have a beat. It was soothing, relaxing, Mother Nature’s white noise, but it did make teaching a bit complicated. The rain was louder than I was.

When I was a kid, summer rain was fun. If the storm was heavy, the rain quickly flowed into the gutters beside the sidewalks. There was white water close to the drains. We used to walk in the gutters kicking up the rainwater and getting soaked. Now, when that happens, I always think of It and keep an eye out for Pennywise and that red balloon.

“Kill you all!” The clown was laughing and screaming. “Try to stop me and I’ll kill you all! Drive you crazy and then kill you all! You can’t stop me!”

September 8, 2016

Yesterday was hot and humid. Today is dark and humid. Tomorrow will be blistering hot. It rained earlier. My guess is sometime after 6 as underneath my papers was dry. Today, Gracie and I are finally getting to the dump. I have been storing bags on the deck. They smell this time of year.

The Globe this morning had a few tidbits. My favorite was titled ” Are sightings Pennywise or just clown foolish.”Stephen King fans will recognize Pennywise as the clown in his novel It. The book is scary enough, but the movie clown is frightening. I looked it up: coulrophobia is fear of clowns. The newspaper relates the story of a man in Greensboro, NC who saw a clown who was typically dressed: red curls, oversized shoes, blue pants and a poker dot shirt. The clown, however, was wearing a scary mask. The guy had a machete and chased the clown who disappeared into the woods. The guy called the police. It doesn’t say why. The officers searched but were unable to find anyone matching the description. That, however, was not the first sighting. It seems clowns have been menacing the area since early August and one tried to lure some children into the woods. There have been a half-dozen sightings. The police haven’t found any proof, and the reason for the clowns’ existence is just as perplexing. It could be a stunt for a new movie, “31.” The police announced they will arrest anyone dressed like a clown, “It’s illegal. It’s dangerous. It’s inappropriate, and it’s creating community concern and needs to be stopped.”

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a horror comedy. I love it. Shadow puppets are weapons. Victims are wrapped in cotton candy. Popcorn attacks people. An ice cream truck is important to the plot. My suggestion is if you like silly but fun movies this is the one; however, if you are afraid of clowns stay away from this movie.

I am going to miss the first debate, and I am so bummed. There is an internet cafe in Bolga for which you pay by the hour. My first thought was to find where the debate is streaming, pay the money and use the password to connect from my iPad, but the cafe will be closed by the time the debate starts as Ghana is 4 hours ahead. Plan B is hoping one of my former students might know someone with a home router and wifi.

When I think about my trip, all sorts of pictures “dance in my head.”Ghana is colorful. The market is the best place to roam. It is a treasure trove of cloth, fruits and vegetables. The streets are lined with people selling food. On my last trip I found the sausage man. The kelewele wagon is parked at the end of the stores. That one I’ll visit often!