'I don't like the looks of those clouds.'
So I woke up yesterday morning and it was thundering.
It was also 2:45 a.m., but I was willing to put that aside for the moment, because I knew that spring finally was here. Never mind that today it was cold enough that I could see my breath outside again. Yesterday, it was raining, and thundering, and lightning.
When I got into work, we (I mean, I) talked about it on and off for at least three hours.
I'm from Minnesota. I think it's pretty similar for you Wisconsin natives, too, but in my home state, weather (good, bad, and how the good won't last long before it turns bad) takes up about 75 percent of our conversation, and it's regularly used as a conversation filler.
To paraphrase an old skit on A Prairie Home Companion, pretty much every conversation I've had at extended family events goes something like this:
Me: "Some weather we're having, huh?"
Family member I haven't seen in 4 years: "You bet. Sure is something."
Me: "It's OK now, but it's not gonna last, I hear."
Family member: "You got that right."
Me: "I don't like the looks of those clouds in the distance."
Family member: "The birds are acting funny."
Me: "Makes a person uneasy."
Family member: "Oh, yeah, you betcha, it does."
Me: "Well, nice to see you again. I'm going to grab some of that hot dish."
And...scene. So, we're always going to talk about the weather, whether or not there's anything to talk about. I'd find just as much to say on a sunny day as I would when it's pouring out.
But it stormed yesterday. A real spring storm. I'm pretty excited about it. And that opens up a whole other volume of weather topics. Ones that don't involve wind chills, sleet and ice.
Warnings, watches, heat index, dew point, rain. It's springtime in Wisconsin, and I can't wait.
Apr 5, 2008 at 9:01 a.m.
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i love rainstorms and if those tornado sirens go off im the one heading outstide to look @ the sky not the basement. If im gonna die i wannta see how how but getting crushed under brick & motar and some lumber. I wannta experince it first hand.
Apr 4, 2008 at 6:56 a.m.
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One thing is certain, and maybe this reflects just my origins as a Minnesota Scandinavian and my ancestors' storied refusal of all things pleasant, but I have to say, I get very depressed if there are too many sunny, quiet days in a row.
It's that constant change that I like. When I was in California and Mexico last year, I thought to myself, "This is nice, but I'd get bored of this." I will always need seasons.
Though I really wouldn't mind spending the month of February in warmer climes.
Apr 3, 2008 at 4:11 p.m.
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When we were kids, every kind of weather was fun in one way or another.
Not now.
Apr 3, 2008 at 1:14 p.m.
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I read a novel (can't remember the title) about a city girl spending a summer in "the country". She marveled at how the sky was such a part of the scenery. She had never paid attention to it in the city since you had to actually *look* for it between the tall buildings.
Made me appreciate the many faces of our weather.
I get a kick out of seeing it rain on the horizon while the sun is still shining by me.
Apr 3, 2008 at 5:29 a.m.
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It seems as I get older, I pay more attention to the weather - watching The Weather Channel, planning my week around the possibility of precipitation, etc.
I fear I'm turning into my dad.
Apr 2, 2008 at 10:24 p.m.
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Just make sure that it's not chasing you.
Apr 2, 2008 at 6:14 p.m.
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Ooh, I've never been to Nevada, but I was in Los Angeles and San Diego last year, and yeah, not a cloud in the sky. And that sky was SO blue.
As for tornadoes, I know they can be scary, but growing up in the city, I never really saw one. I'd like to go chase one just once...
Apr 2, 2008 at 4:49 p.m.
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Adam......We retired from Janesville to southern Nevada. What are clouds?
Apr 2, 2008 at 4:15 p.m.
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You should come storm chasing with me Adam. haha, anyone who asks me about the weather usually says "you get a tornado yet"
- Your former intern KyleS
Apr 2, 2008 at 1:52 p.m.
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"Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article of it." -- Mark Twain
Apr 2, 2008 at 1:48 p.m.
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"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours." -- Mark Twain
Apr 2, 2008 at 10:52 a.m.
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Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!
That's terribly funny, Adam.
I used to be a receptionist in a feed mill, and 97 out of 100 customer service calls started with, "So how much rain did'ja get?"
Apr 2, 2008 at 9:18 a.m.
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As a child and teenager, I always wondered why adults talked about the weather so frequently. The older I get, the more often I find myself talking about it. It's a commonality between strangers--we all experience the weather. You can talk to anyone about the weather and they'll usually respond in some way.
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