Why I'm Not a Weather Person

Because we live in West Texas. And the weather here is less than predictable. And I hate being wrong. And weatherpeople 'round these parts are wrong taken by surprise quite often.

Case in point: Friday was a beautiful day with temperatures around a pleasant 82 degrees. The wind was unseasonably calm at 10 - 15 mph. Saturday was much the same with temperatures slightly cooler at around 76 degrees. Sunday was still beautiful but not quite as warm with highs around 72 degrees.

Here in west Texas weekends like that mean flip flops and capris. And if you're not a flip flop person, you wear your favorite sandals or just don your favorite flats sans socks or hose. It doesn't really matter that it's still February. We're weather flexible like that. We roll with the changes.

But until Friday, I never knew that there were parts of the country that didn't opperate like that. Since it was so beautiful that day, I walked down the street to visit a friend. They are living here in our town temporarily. Their permanent home is in Michigan. While we were visiting, she jokingly commented about my flip flops and gouchos saying, "You look all ready for spring! You're really on top of things, do you already have your flip flops out of storage waiting in your closet?"

I replied, "My flip flops never went in to storage! Did yours?"

"Yes, I pack away all our summer stuff in the attic for the winter."

"Wow! We don't do that! Mainly because it doesn't get cold until November. And then, what would you do on the 5 or 6 days in December that it's 80 degrees? You'd want your flip flops then..."

This conversation got me to thinking. I really do like the unpredictable weather here. It's nice to have a break from the monotony of cold gray days with a warm 70 degrees in the middle of December. I guess my least favorite part about our weather is the wind. We live on the plains. Meaning flat and treeless for as far as the eye can see. On a very clear, calm day, if you get out of town, you can see the curvature of the earth. Really.

All the flattness and treelessness means that there isn't anything to block the wind. And so in the spring and fall when the seasons are busy changing we are left out in the open at the mercy of the wind. It isn't uncommon to have several days in a row of sustained 30 - 40 mph winds. And girls, that much wind makes the dirt blow. It goes everywhere. In fact, it is also not uncommon to see huge tanker trucks spraying water on construction projects that are still in the "dirt work" phase. The idea is that maybe the moisture will help keep the dirt settled and not blown to the next county. One day of 40 mph winds can really set the "dirt work" back.

The weatherperson's term for this is level of wind is "areas of isolated blowing dust", but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it's impossible for blowing dust to stay in its isolated place. It finds its way to every little knook and cranny. It gives new meaning to the phrase "when the dust settles". Some days my house just smells like dirt. Really. And the boxes in your attic that may or may not have summer clothes in them have no get out of dust free pass. So, we keep our clothes in our closets and dressers. It's the place that offers the most protection.

And it keeps them handy for days like today. For times when in a matter of 4 days we've gone from highs in the 80s to highs in the 30s. Oh, the wind is still blowing, but today it's blowing snow instead of dust. And I'm not worried that winter is back. Because tomorrow? We're supposed to be back in the mid-60s.

Happy Spring!