Last night we had some HUGE thunderclaps (the likes of which TinkerBelle had never heard)! They scared the bejeezus out of her! (Poor baby!) At first she barked ferociously but then she ran to the bathroom and hid in the shower for shelter.

Krista got her out and did her best to soothe her but the hits kept coming. (LolaLu - ordinarily the Cowardly Doodle - was fairly nonchalant about everything.)

Heavy rains started to pour down. Then there was a big crash/clatter on our roof and/or on the wall outside. I honestly have no idea what it was. If anything, it sounded like it could have been a branch from the (huge) tree outside - with some sort of animal (likely as scared as Tink was) on it, landing on the roof and scampering off. (Do capybaras climb trees?) By the time I got shoes on, though, there was nothing to (no tree branch that I could) see.

Shortly after that, I left to pick up some dinner while Krista gave TinkerBelle some Benadryl to try to calm her. It was raining so hard, I had to drive slowly because visibility was a little sketchy. Just as I pulled into a parking spot at nearby Clayton Mall, all the lights went out. Moments later, while I was waiting in the car for the power to come back on so I could go in and place an order, I got a call from Krista.

The pool - 2-3 feet away from our front (sliding glass) door - AND UPHILL FROM US - was overflowing!

I scrambled to contact the owner of the apartment (who fortunately lives right next door) and she rushed over with a bunch of towels to place just inside the sliding glass door. Shortly after, the rain let up so no water ran into the apartment.

Meanwhile, the lights came back on at Clayton Mall and I ordered and received our dinner and brought it home. But our weird night was not over…

As we ate dinner and watched The Man Who Knew Too Little (a very funny Bill Murray sleeper - recommended!), we heard a big crash come from the other side of the (closed) bedroom door. It wasn’t the dogs; they were at our feet! When I got up to explore, nothing was amiss. STRANGE! The sound from the TV kind of masked the event so I can only guess that it was another (smaller) thunderclap combined with strange acoustics in the apartment — but it was really bizarre and left me with the feeling like I was in a Poltergeist movie. The second inexplicable noise of our most bizarre night in Panama yet.

Last night was the closest I’ve ever come to a supernatural event.

Thunderbolts and Lightning

Very, very Frightening

Things!

GALILEO!