Resorting to talk about the weather

3.12.03

I was talking with a friend about a month ago about our perceptions of people that live in different regions of the United States. She is from California and was interested in what I thought about Californians before I came and after I had lived here for a while. Seeing that she was born and raised in California but went to college in Minnesota, I too was interested in her perceptions of people from the Midwest (how Minnesota or Wisconsin continue to be known as the “Midwest” is still a mystery to me). One thing that she observed when she lived in Minnesota was that the people there would talk about the weather a lot.

There is a reason for this.

My mom told me that last Sunday (March 8) Milwaukee’s high temperature of 13 degrees Ferenheit broke the record of 14 set in 1877. That’s not the kind of record one likes to see broken in March. After telling her it has been gorgeous here – 60s and sunny every day, she honestly sounded upset, like I shouldn’t have even told her.

The weather where I’m from, at times, makes it hard to think about anything else. It consumes all other thought processes where, depending on the season, your head throbs “I’m soooo cold I cannot feel my toes” or “it’s way to humid to even breathe” or “gosh, this golf ball sized hail hurts”. It is not all that bad though - I do miss the most the early summer thunderstorms that break the heat, the ones where all birds and other wildlife become quiet an hour before the storm hits. The changes in one year that one sees in weather in Wisconsin is so dramatic that you can’t help but talk about it.

While thinking about the weather and people’s tendency (or lack thereof) to talk about it, it seems logical to me that those who must adjust their lifestyle in lieu of the weather would be prone to talk about it more often. Perhaps these people are more in touch with the few natural parameters they still must consider?

I’ve been in Yosemite for seven months now and I have seen a few magnificent storms come through. I am a fan of big storms and when it rains, I want it to pour, which is exactly what it has done. It has altered lifestyles, but only temporarily. After a four or five day storm period, the weather, as if controlled by a magical dial, goes back to the “perfect” setting and all is well. Reasonable temperatures and usually sunny. I have reson to believe there is no generally overcast month in Yosemite Valley to put you in a funk, as January and February often do in Wisconsin. Here it has been delightful not to talk about the weather, although lately it has been so nice, I’ve had to take advantage of it.

So, enough of this sitting inside at the computer telling you how nice it is here. I went scampering up to the base of Bridalveil Falls and WildCat Falls the other day in shorts and a tank top. I am looking forward to our next group of students coming from Bakersfield West High and Reseda and Crenshaw High Schools from Los Angeles. There should be plenty of good weather and spring wildflowers for our Hite’s Cove expedition.

Jocelyn