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The Weather
We complain a lot about the weather, in case you hadn't noticed. The wind is, in fact, pretty stiff here in the winter and we can get heavy rains, snow, and it's often just plain cold in December and January. Sometimes we'd all like to borrow Dorothy's ruby slippers.
But we forget all that in the summer and take pretty much for granted the cool nights, balmy days and refreshing afternoon showers of our mountain summers.
All you need to be reminded is a quick trip to Longmont or Boulder or Denver, where, on most any summer afternoon, you can walk across a street and feel the asphalt give under your feet.
You might also encounter one of the thunderstorms and the hail that have injured several plains dwellers this summer. Those are our little showers, all grown up.
And some places are even worse in the summer. Take New York City, for example, on the 6th of July. It's not just the humidity, folks, it's the heat. The hottest 6th of July since 1911. 98° in the middle of Manhattan --- well, anybody who willingly takes PeoplExpress to go into that deserves everything he gets, I suppose.
Don't get me wrong. We really enjoyed the celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s 100th anniversary. Wouldn't have missed it. And sweating is a nice, normal human function which has its place when you chop wood or go hiking. But let's face it, sweating 24 hours a day for a week in New York City is a silly thing to do to yourself!
Now, if you are really into masochism, you can crawl into a subway (jammed) on which the air conditioning isn't working, or onto a bus (jammed) which never had air conditioning to begin with. These are even sillier things to do to yourself. I know; I have done both.
So I hope you didn't get this by mail, so you can step outside and take a deep breath. Look at this beautiful weather. Savor it, friend. It's not that easy to find. If the rest of the world had ruby slippers our mountains would be a very crowded place.
Columns
© 1985 – 2003, David E. Steiner
Allenspark Wind Columns:
Back to the Hilltop Guild Bazaar
The Estes Park Hardware Store [1988]
On the Death of Otto Walter, Postmaster
A Whine About Telephone Service [1991]
On the Death of Charles Eagle Plume
Rumors About a Visit by the Pope
The Visit of Pope John Paul II
Devolutionizing Big Government
The Estes Park Trail-Gazette Columns:
How Old is Charles Eagle Plume?