Evenings at the terrace

Decided to write this week’s item enjoying the cool evening breeze on my terrace. It is 23:00. I discovered this pleasure during the power outages of the last few weeks. Every day, just after sunset, for a few hours. Since yesterday, the problem is fixed.

I am told that this was due to the fact that we supply electricity to Lebanon, but I was always wondering why our village was contributing and not the one next to it. It may be that the other village’s contribution was on a different time schedule. I don’t know and it seems to be too late now to find out.

During these power outages, I usually sat in the moonlight on the terrace. The moon is very present here. No clouds to hide behind. The visibility of the stars depends on the volume of the moon. When full, few stars are visible.

I often brushed my teeth under a dark sky plenty with stars. I brush my teeth in the bathroom now. Did I gain something, or did I lose something ?

Although I’m living on the main road in the village, the sound of the crickets is an indicator for the peace and tranquillity. Many evenings, a fox is calling for a mate. Sometimes very near.

Some Bedouins have settled nearby too. Sometimes, they pass by with a huge herd of sheep. It is an event not only for me, but also for my neighbours. This seems to be exceptional, even for the locals. They are looking for food. The only green that is left is that of the olive and fig trees, the cucumber plants, and the grapes.

This year, there are some sunflowers in the cucumber fields. The sun is so burning these days, that in the afternoon they look thirstily down to the ground. I would do to, if I would be standing in the sun all day. Actually, I would die of thirst. The donkeys, however, are always put out into the burning sun. I’ve been asking why, but no satisfactory answer yet.

Meanwhile, I’ve learnt that onions have to be put in the sun, and garlic too. And everything that contains germs. Maybe that’s why they put the donkeys in the sun.