Rain, rain

At first it was hard to decide what to write about his week,

since threats seem to be coming from all directions.

The death toll is rising in Syria as violent protests continue.

In Cairo there are more casualties and democratic elections seem elusive.

New demonstrations are taking place in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Reports are coming in of CIA undercover agents being arrested in Iran and Lebanon.

And locally, the doctors’ struggle  continues

 and the light rail drivers still have not agreed on their wages.

In the meantime, a long list of political and celebrity visitors were in Jerusalem.

But the focus of the real streets has not been celebrity sightings,

political strife or the lack of Supreme Court Justices,

it has been rain, and lots of it.

 A break in the weather with the sun peeking through was a rare sight this week.

The rain is great for the lime tree at the end of its season,

but does not make for good photography.

The Knesset looks grey in the rain,

while the walls and smoke from the Israel Museum blend into the horizon.

Water filling the streets make it difficult to drive

and traffic often slows down.

Figuring out when and how hard it will rain, how to stay dry,

and how to avoid the puddles

 has been a challenge.

But not for everyone….there are those little people who love each new splash.

Prayers for rain have been answered.

After last year’s dry and mild winter, this has been a wet week,

 and it is getting colder, making it difficult to stay dry and warm.

While there is plenty of complaining about getting wet,

 no one is singing “rain, rain go away” yet.

It was cold enough for a winter jacket, hat and scarf today,

see Tourist of the Week…gotta love the Canadians!