Friday, June 21, 2013

speaking of the weather

So, there you are at dinner in Woburn Abbey.

The Countess Grey to your left, the youngest daughter of the French ambassador to your right.  What can you discuss with such well-bred people? 

Your French is sketchy.  And, even though the earl is president of the Cremation Society, death, unless it concerns the prime rib gracing the table, is not an appropriate bit of chat.

Thank heavens, there are two universally safe table topics.  Health and weather.  And even health can be dodgy, as we all learned from Alan Jay Lerner.  So, the weather it is.

Weather is a regular conversation topic here in Melaque.  Primarily because we live so close to the weather's moods.  Most homes here are built as thin lines between us and Mother Nature.  For most of us, a few fans are the most we can do to control our environment.

We are at the mercy of the weather as much as any farmer in Iowa.

But we have another reason to be fixated on what may be headed our way.  Summer heralds our wet season.  Rain here also means that we are within the hurricane envelope.

Our local message board is filled with the observations of weather hobbyists.  Most of whom have a favorite weather site or two, and are as willing to swap them as bachelors once shared little black book information.  (Well.  Sorta.  The weather sites are real.)

The experts seem to believe that the eastern coast of Mexico is facing an active hurricane season.  But not we lucky left coast denizens.  This is supposed to be a mild hurricane season for us.

But hurricanes and tropical storms there will be. That mans every day or two I will take a look at NOAA's National Hurricane Center, where I can be entertained by colorful graphics representing the freight train that could modify the value of Melaque's real estate.

Mexpatriate will undoubtedly be talking about weather this summer.  And yu can watch the pretty graphics as they roll our way.


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