Roof lakes

The rainy season is here in earnest, and Israel has been getting quite a bit of much-needed precipitation. But this also means the season of leaks.

About a week ago, we came home and discovered that there was a wet spot on the bed. I looked up, and there was the source: drops of water on the ceiling preparing to fall. It didn't take long to find the source of the problem. When we went up and looked at the upper balcony (which is the roof of the bedroom), we could see that it was flooded. David volunteered to go out and unplug the drain. Luckily, it wasn't too difficult, and soon the lake was running down the drain pipe.

This made me wonder if the leaks in the upstairs ceiling might have a similar explanation. Sure enough, on Wednesday I was able to stand on a chair on the upper balcony and thereby get high enough to see the roof. There it was: a 4-5-inch-deep lake! And, more rain was predicted to start within hours, with menacing clouds emphasizing the threat.

Fortunately, we had enough time before my next class to zip down to Khatzor, to the large hardware store, and buy a ladder and galoshes. When we got back, David wanted to be the one to get up on the roof and fix the problem, but it proved to be too difficult for him to get off the ladder and onto the roof, so I made him come back down, I put on the galoshes, and then I got up there and waded around. I was sure that I knew where the drain was, but I could not see it, even though the water was crystal-clear. Finally, I kicked around in the area where it was supposed to be, muddying the water considerably, but clearing the drain. I knew immediately because I could hear the water begin running down it. Within hours, this lake, too, was drained. And we got it all down before that rain started!

So, we finally beginning to be able to take care of some things in the house ourselves, and we have a nice ladder to get up onto the roof, too!