Raindrops on roses

Rain on the terrace

 It rained yesterday afternoon! The first winter rains ... and it was a good shower, moderately heavy ... and lots of thunder. It rumbled for well over 40 minutes. But the sky was strangely not overcast. Everyone was surprised because the bright sky gave no warning of the shower. Even the meteorological stations were not aware of it. Social media were flooded with photos of the rain ... and to show you what a rarity rain is ... some people actually asked on social media what precautions they should take when it rains. Umbellas, raincoats, stay indoors ... were the common answers. Quite hilarious ... but given that it only rained this January after 15 years of drought, many younger generations know nothing about rainstorms. They are actually afraid.

Infections have risen just above 1000 yesterday ... and already experts are preparing for a 3rd wave of infections and a 3rd lockdown. I certainly hope not. The palestinian vice-president is in a critical state with covid ... and is being treated in Israel as palestine lacks the equipment and expertise to handle the pandemic.

Raindrops on roses ...

Gaza fired a missile into Israel yesterday while Israel discovered a deep long tunnel from Gaza leading into Israel. Then this morning a village at the Syrian-Israeli border was bombed ... and Syria accuses Israel. So the northern and southern borders are troubled. Let's hope it won't escalate. A wet winter with covid and an expected flu outbreak is bad enough.

Today I decided not go to work at the other library. I had to go to East Jerusalem instead to collect my medical insurance, buy stationary for the library and duplicate keys for my workers. The main steet of East Jerusalem called Salahaddin street was packed with people and cars ... like three's no pandemic. Most shops however do not entertain clients ... they can only buy things from the shops' main door, or are allowed to enter one person at a time. Majority of people also wear masks. That's a relief.