Weather or not.

 

“Don't know why

There's no sun up in the sky

Stormy weather

Since my man and I ain't together

Keeps rainin' all the time.”

These days, we can’t look at a weather map and see any place that’s truly safe from potential bad weather. The “wanna go during the winter” locations are all under warnings of flooding, snow, or tornadoes…and/or whatever Mother Nature decides to toss at us. Recently it appears one of the best regions to be in is the Midwest. It’s been in the 30’s and 40’s, very little snow or rain, and it’s Winter!!  Yes, the Midwest.

Just to be 100% clear, I hate winter.

The only benefit when I was growing up about winter, was the chance of school being cancelled. I am sure we all remember the days when we would listen to the radio (that’s how we got the news back then) and prayed, “please say my school!” When they did, homes erupted in joy and screams. Then we settled down and thought, “What do we do now?” If there was a lot of snow, we were trapped, if there was not, we knew it was a “one day only” and they might add on another day at the end of the year. I was always willing to take the risk.

Winter weather in the Midwest tends to be one of 3 things: Cold, snow or ice. Sometimes we “win the lottery and get all three!” You really knew there was a problem when it was say 34 degrees, raining, and the temperature would drop below freezing—- then snow would layer on top of the ice. The cold component was always consistent.

We lived in the middle of a “drive,” yet it really was a “court.” The only way to come on to our street was the only way to get out. The incline or decline, depending on which way you were heading, was enough to create some very interesting situations. If you were turning onto the street, the chances of sliding were the same as “cold” being a part of our winter—-100%. The same would be true when you were trying to get out of the street. Back then, we used to switch tires from summer to winter for more traction; some even had “studs for greater “gripping and ripping” up of the streets.

Fortunately we are accustomed to the weather changes throughout the year, however we can’t say for sure when it’s going to happen. There have been times in late May when it has snowed, and in January there have been tornadoes—I have witnessed both. I like consistency the most, but it does make for good conversation when you get really weird changes.

I happen to be a fan of weather changes because it makes for great photography. Sure, summer is wonderful with its blue cloudless skies—-but it makes for lousy pictures. Toss in a Cumulonimbus cloud and now you’re talking! 

The photo above was taken a couple of years ago in Florida. It was the middle of the pandemic;  we were at a swimming pool, no masks it’s Florida after all, and in the distance I see a cloud—not just your wispy high-in the-sky cloud, this was the mother of all mothers. I took out my iPhone, my camera was back at the condo, and I snapped away. Since I happen to love clouds, I knew if I blew it this time, I would be kicking myself. Fortunately, I didn’t have to.

Thanks for stopping by.