Rainbirds had just about given up over their prognostications. They were strumming away as expected in early May predicting our June rainfall. It never happened. They tried again for several more days. And nothing.
They were working tirelessly in abject heat to announce that rain and relief would arrive. When the rain still didn’t appear, they just said, “Screw it! We’re out of here!” And we hadn’t heard from them since.
Sad really. The rainbirds have always taken this job seriously. To bring glad tidings to farmers, to siren the replenishment of water supplies for drinking, sanitation, garden growth or general use. And, of course, to help locate and dramatize for everybody where their roofs and windows are going to leak and ceilings crumble on your head.
One suspects that our dutiful little harbingers were upset when the National Water Commission (Conagua) told them that more than four-fifths of Mexico’s territory was currently in drought, including Guadalajara where reservoirs were down significantly and water shortages had become commonplace. They sought counseling over thoughts of suicide.
(As you may know, rainbirds are not really birds. They’re really musical little insects, hoping someday to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.)
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