My favorite weather

I enjoy most flavors of weather. Yeah I am one of those weird people who does not need perfect weather all of the time. I can take most anything the sky can dish out if it is in short spurts. In the Midwest I usually get at a thrill or two per year where we’ll see a 50 degree temperature differential in a single day. I of course do not like weather to threaten people or property, but even the nasty stuff like tornadoes and hurricanes are mesmerizing to witness from afar as they menacingly crescendo with unbelievable power.

I’m not insensitive to the genuine danger or destruction that nature can dish out. Members of my own family and myself have suffered both financially and physically from wind, floods, fires, earthquakes, lightning and falling trees. Those events were trying to say the least but ultimately they only reinforced my genuine awe in the power of nature.

Probably if pushed for the type of weather I like least it would be the wind. I am not talking about a Hawaiian breeze out on the lanai, I am referring to the relentless howling blow that won’t quit. Wind naturally accompanies most pressure differential events so I’ve learned to accept a certain amount of the stuff to enjoy an exciting thunderstorm or experience the beauty of a desert. I also love hearing the big flat leaves of the Aspen or gum trees rattling in the breeze and watching the towering cottonwood trees at our home sway back and forth hypnotically.

Like most people, as I have gotten older the snow too is a bit taxing, since dressing for it and moving it around are major chores. It actually is quite enjoyable and beautiful for the first couple of times per season. I never tire of simply walking outside during the first major snowfall of the year and listening for ‘NOTHING’. The white stuff insulates so well and these days I find the absence of sound in the Winter can be just as alluring as the birds, trees, and bustle of activity in the Spring. Yeah it’s lucky I love the weather so much, after all I have to, I live in Missouri – warm breeze, 3 tornado warnings and hail yesterday; bright sunshine, cold winds and rain today. Who knows what tomorrow’s weather will bring - that’s what I call PERFECT!