Vitamin D

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today."
--Groucho Marx, American comedian

According to the guidebooks, we're right in the midst of rainy season here in southern China. Rainy Season passes through parts of China at different times over the course of spring and summer. It starts in the south and moves north as the months go by, so in Hong Kong and Zhonshan we see the rain in early spring from April to May. The Plum Rains, called meiyu ("may yoo") in Mandarin, are nicknamed for the season when the fruit ripens and hit Eastern China in May and June; after that, the rains move north from June to July.

Over the years we've slogged through several rainy seasons and have experienced the extremes they can bring; while some days might simply consist of gray skies and sprinkles, other days you'll find yourself standing ankle-deep in water after three solid days of torrential rain as you make your way to the grocery store. Chris and I thrive in warm, sunny environments, so overall the tropical climate of Southeast Asia is ideal for us; however, getting through the gray, dreary days of China's rainy season is a yearly challenge for both of us!

During the Spring of 2006 while we were living in Fuzhou, the capital of the Fujian Province on the eastern coast of China, we experienced the worst extreme of Rainy Season: torrential rainfall followed by devastating flash flooding. Chris was forced to shut down his factories for a week while the city dealt with crippling landslides, roads and highways that had washed away and thousands of people who were stranded without homes and businesses.

Yesterday, here in Zhongshan we had just that kind of rain - storms so violent they caused serious flooding throughout the Pearl River Delta and almost washed Chris' van off the road on his commute home. His description of what happened was all too similar to the 2006 flooding in Fuzhou and was a clear reminder of just how real and dangerous flash flooding can be.

Today I snapped this shot of our courtyard garden, verdant green in all its tropical splendor after yesterday's downpours. Mostly I wanted to capture the sun - it's the first sunny day we've seen since returning to China this Spring! The sun didn't hang around very long and we're definitely not putting our umbrellas away, but it's progress. It won't be long now before the incredible heat of summer descends on us; Spring is short-lived here in the southern provinces, and you have to grab the beautiful days when you can. So today my camera and I went out for an attitude boost and some much needed Vitamin D!