Yom Shishi rain and sun

This storm rolled through while I was walking downtown to buy flowers.  I did have my raincoat with me, and put it on.  There was thunder and a cold rain for 15-20 minutes.  The rain and wind transformed a lot of umbrellas into giant bowls on sticks.  Ahh, wind.  It drove the street flower vendor off the street corner (somewhere?), so I bought red carnations from a vendor inside the bus station.

But the sky is blue now, and my windows are open.  Now it's time to get ready for shabbat.  Shabbat shalom (שבת שלום).


Beer Sheva rain summary:

Accumulated rainfall (from 01/08/2013 to 13/03/2014): 210 mm  (8.25 in)

Percent of same period normal (from 01/08/2013 to 13/03/2014): 128%

Percent of annual normal: 108%

Annual normal: 195 mm

Looks like another noisy night

And more rain

Look at this great radar (don't worry, I won't be blogging as a weather junkie much longer).  It is cold (sort of) and rainy and wet feet and splashy traffic, but the rain is coming at a good rate and lots of it should soak in and replenish the groundwater.  I'm just glad I have a bus pass now, so that I can ride with abandon on days like this.

Jerusalem Post report on rain

The best butter

I went to the shuk in the rain yesterday (it has roofs), and bought cheese and butter from the dairy guy.  I had purchased butter from him in January, and was surprised that it doesn't get hard in the refrigerator.  I had purchased a brick of butter from the grocery store after that, and it was fine.  But I went back to him, and he even assured me that it was very fresh.  He had a huge brick that he cut 0.5 kg for me.  Anyway, that's my butter source now.  הכי טוב! (the best)

BTW, the butter from the dairy guy comes roughly wrapped in wax paper, in a plastic bag.  Only roughly a rectangle, and very soft!

More rumbles of thunder

Who could be homesick with thunderstorms about?

A real rainy day

A cold and rainy day in the desert - isn't it grand?  We actually had thunderstorms rolling through, and I found this radar image that looks a lot like our midwest squall lines.  And like the midwest, there was wind, so my raincoat was more helpful than my umbrella (but I had both).  Of course, the raincoat dripped down on my trousers, but I bought them to be quick-dry for laundry, but it works for rain, too.  Tomorrow is supposed to be similar.  Everyone, except the people who have been doused by traffic, is grateful for the rain.

BGU Hias Campus

And since I took my camera, I took the opportunity to photograph the Hias Campus, where the Structural Engineering and I are housed.  It's the original campus of BGU.

My building (H3) is in the center of the photo.

Students hang out and eat lunch in this area.