Here Comes the Rain Again

A string of cloudy days has finally culminated into a much-needed storm—one that battered our windows and soaked our patio while we were sleeping last night. It’s fine by me, although I wish someone would do something about the television. Call it another island quirk. There are two cable TV operators here in Bermuda, Cablevision and WOW (World on Wireless). When we first got here, I did my due diligence to determine which service was best. I learned that WOW offered more channels for less money and that Cablevision bundled its service with an Internet connection. And on it went, until I finally learned that I could only use WOW due to our home’s location. Decision made, however there’s one small problem: The rain. Apparently our cable television provider doesn’t get along with it. In fact the two hate each other, evidenced by the nagging S and Q meters on my TV screen that read 1% during a storm. For those non-islanders out there, S and Q stand for sound and quality. When it’s sunny, there’s a red bar next to each one that usually reads 95%-100%. Last night they were at a dismal one. That’s one percent sound and quality for all you keeping score. Needless to say Joy and I fell asleep to the DVD version of Rudy last night. Of course the rain is not all bad. For folks whose cisterns went dry weeks ago, it’s the answer to their prayers. For the yellowed palm trees perched on my hillside, it’s a much-needed drink. And of course, the rain makes for an interesting photograph, especially when its droplets bubble up on the patches of thorny aloe that surround my house (see above). I’m not sure when my TV will be working again, but I suspect I’ll be dipping into my DVD collection yet again tonight. Just call it island intuition.