If You Like The Weather...

After last weekend's rain, we were blessed with a few days of sunshine before the rain returned this evening.  If there's one thing we know about the weather in Oregon, it's that it's liable to change.

Dave Thurlow, host of The Weather Notebook, said this in 1997: 

A weather saying that is common in New England goes, "if you don't like the weather, then just wait a minute." New Englanders tend to be proud of their changeable weather; however, they don't always understand that weather is just as changeable in other parts of the country.

We've found the same saying applied to the weather in Texas, Missouri, Alabama, Michigan, and Washington. California, of course, has the saying that "if you don't like the weather, you're crazy." This business about "liking" weather has significant meaning to people in many parts of the country, not just New England. People not only like their weather, they seem to be proud of it. So why are some people so tuned in to the weather?

In this day and age, it's not like we have to run home and tend to the livestock at the first sign of a storm. Cars and planes are slowed down by the weather only about five percent of the time. There has to be something about weather that transcends the daily comings and goings of life.

Maybe it's our full menu of weather treats across the country. Maybe it's the joy of the changing seasons. Or maybe we feel that something that is most familiar and shared with our neighbors, such as the weather, is something we pay attention to. So, if you didn't like today's weather, then just wait until tomorrow. (www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/1997/04/24.html)

The Rain Is Here

If you live in the Portland area, you know the autumn rains began on Friday after weeks of sunny weather.  I don't mind the rain so much - maybe because I grew up in the Willamette Valley.  However, the longer the rain continues, the more likely it is that complaints about the weather will follow.

I remember a nursery rhyme:

Rain rain go away,
Come again another day.
Little Johnny wants to play; 
Rain, rain, go to Spain,
Never show your face again!

According to www.rhymes.org.uk, this rhyme originated in the 16th century at the time of the Spanish Armada. The British defeated the Armada, in part because of the stormy weather. Apparently the rain was a valuable ally.

There Was No Debate

There was no debate in my mind about whether to watch the debate this week.  I spent some time with friends (with no television), then went to Fred Meyer to pick up photos and a prescription.  I feel I used my time wisely, and I look forward to getting a good night's sleep.

Happy Birthday

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.
- Edith Wharton

(painting shown is by Libby Caldwell)

Still Blooming

Even though it's autumn, some flowers are still blooming like it's summer.

I find it interesting how the seasons overlap. Not only do flowers bloom while leaves are falling, but sometimes the seasons of our lives seem to overlap, too.  Old age and childhood seem to co-exist in my mother now.  Sometimes I see an adult acting like an adolescent - or vice versa.  There is not a clean edge or a sharp dividing line between each stage - which can be a little disconcerting.  I can never be quite sure what to expect next - from the weather or from people.  Maybe that's why I never know what's going to pop up next on my blog.  Maybe that's the way life is supposed to be.

Mad Hatter Day

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a teatray in the sky.

Among the many minor holidays, October 6 is listed as "Mad Hatter Day," probably because of the paper tag showing in his hat band. (The tag is believed to be an order to make the hat and shows its cost as ten shillings and sixpence.  But, it could be interpreted as October 6.) 

According to www.holidayinsights.com, Mad Hatter Day is a great day to be silly.  Why not celebrate silliness by wearing a top hat, asking unanswerable riddles, and spouting nonsensical poetry a la Lewis Carroll?

"Why is a raven like a writing-desk?  Have you guessed the riddle yet?” the Hatter said.
“No, I give it up,” Alice replied, “What’s the answer?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter.”

Words

When playing on-line word games, I am amazed at some of the words that are allowed.  Apparently, my vocabulary is more limited than I realized.  I'm not talking about big words - I'm talking about 3-letter words.  Did you know...

• ais are South American 3-toed sloths
• mir is a village community in czarist Russia
• oka is a unit of weight or capacity
• oud is a musical instrument of the lute family
• ras is a family of genes that undergo mutation

“All the ideas in the universe can be described by words. Therefore, if you simply take all the words and rearrange them randomly enough times, you’re bound to hit upon at least a few great ideas eventually. Sausage donkey swallows flying guillotine, my love assembly line.
”

                 ― Jarod Kintz from www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/words