10.19.2008

Weather or whether?

I was reading an email that a friend wrote. Halfway through, you could see me visibly twitch. I stumbled across a question asking me "weather or not" they should do something. I corrected them, which got us talking about weather in general. Here in Colorado, the weather is really unique.

Ask most Coloradans and they would probably quote this phrase or similar: If you don't like the weather, cross the street.
Once, I was in the backyard of a house we lived in farther south. It was raining and so I walked to the other side, where it wasn't. Then I stood half in the rain and half out.

I'm not saying that this happens all the time, but the weather does change drastically. If it's sunny in the morning, make sure to bring a raincoat with you, because it may be raining later. Spring and Autumn are the worst. Last spring, it was sunny in the first part of the day. In the afternoon, all within one hour, it rained, snowed, became sunny and rained again.

Whether or not the weather is nice during one part of the day, it may not be on the other side of the street. If you're on vacation and want to have a good time, I guess it depends on whether or not you have the right clothing for the weather. Something to keep in mind, tourists.

6 comments:

Jeff said...

I'm still twitching, and it's been over an hour since I first learned of your misfortune. It is to snort, wordwise.

Weatherwise, the infamous meteorological microzones to which you refer are more than mere urban (or 'burban, or bourbon) legend for the gratification of tourists et al. In fact, one of my earliest memories is of rain falling in the backyard, while the front remained dry as a bone in a bagful of powdered desiccant in the Sonoran desert.

One of my second-earliest memories is of a contraption I discovered in one of those gas stations along the interstate (i.e. "tourist trap") that some clever soul had dubbed The Colorado Barometer. It consisted of two pieces of wood and a short length of rope, like a gallows but without the noose. On the larger piece of wood was a legend designed to aid the user in making weather forecasts with the thing:

If rope is . . . weather will be . . .

Swinging.........Windy
Wet...............Rain
Frozen............Cold
Missing...........Tornado

I don't recall the price of that simple yet effective weather station, but I wish, now, that I had coughed it up. The money, that is. Not the barometer.

Amanda L said...

I've heard of that barometer. It sounds like something that every weather-watcher should have. A wonderful device.
And once again I find myself laughing uproariously in the library with everyone shooting glares my way. Thanks, Jeff. Much love. :D

Jeff said...

In the spirit of full disclosure, keeping the record straight, and a sick desire for negative attention, I wish to modify my original comment by changing "Colorado" to "Rocky Mountain." After undue consideration, I now believe I was experiencing something akin to False Memory Syndrome, brought on by a sudden drop in blood sugar after running out of donuts midway through the mourning.

Alas.

Amanda L said...

-GASP!- You ran out of donuts? And at the worst possible time: When you were mourning. Well, I'll just have to go get some donuts today. XD

Dragonpearl said...

Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot
We'll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not.

Amanda L said...

Aaaahhhhh! I LOVE IT! :D