Weather Savvy

I grew up in a home where the weather was a big thing. We just found it interesting, I guess, to know what the weather was like yesterday, what it's going to be like today and next week and how it compares to the weather last year at the same time. We liked to know if we'd had a decent amount of rain...was it more than the average rainfall, or less...what's the snow pack like? What about that huge thunderstorm predicted for tomorrow? This was especially good to know so we could tell my dad and he could sleep on the other end of the house - a little farther from the 200 year old oak tree in our backyard that might fall on top of him as he slept soundly in his bed. Probably the most important reason for keeping abreast of the weather was so that we would know what to wear. :)

When we moved to California, I of course, continued to be interested in the weather. Jon would tease me that it's always the same, why do I need to check the weather. Now days it's even easier to keep up on the weather with our i-phones. I love how I can check the weather forecast for the week. I can check the hour by hour play of the day. What time is it supposed to rain? Will it start raining after my morning walk? What is the weather going to be like in Oregon, Washington, and Utah where our family lives?

Well, I am happy to announce that I have passed on this "enthusiasm for the weather" to my children. Every morning I hear, "Mom, what's the weather going to be like today?" "Should I wear pants or shorts?" Should I wear boots or tennis shoes?" Should I wear my light hoodie or my slightly lighter zip up jacket?" Some of my children have even programed into my I-phone other locations where we might be interested in the weather - like Russia and Death Valley. Now, I know some of you might be chuckling at this, but there is a big difference in how you want to dress if it's going to be 85 or 60. For those of you who might be curious, today it is 52 degrees. Where we live, that means bring out the moon boots, winter coat and gloves and maybe mom will drive you to school so you don't catch a cold. :)