Just My Opinion - by Mary Kilen
Ready Or Not….Here It Comes
I was looking through Facebook this last week and started seeing the posts about the impending weather change. We have certainly been enjoying some wonderful weather as fall has arrived.
It has been glorious to be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. It is also true that it is that time of year. You know what I mean.
You get up in the morning and it is cool outside. Those temperatures are great to put on a sweatshirt, grab a cup of coffee and watch the morning unfold.
That sweatshirt or sweater is still on when you leave for work. You need it not only because the temperatures are cool outside, but almost assuredly the air conditioning is running in your business or office. You would turn it off, but you know that by midafternoon, you’ll be chasing the heat in the building.
By the time I’m ready to head to the post office, it has warmed up nicely. So nicely that I’m wishing I had taken the sweater off, but apparently that is too much work. Instead, I’ll just be warm until I get back into the office.
By midafternoon, it has really warmed up and you’re enjoying the feeling of the sun on your face. Unfortunately, the wind is probably trying to blow you over.
Once you leave work, get home and make supper, clean up afterwards and take a deep breath, you head back outside and the sun is dropping in the west. You find yourself needing that sweater again, but you smile and remind yourself these are the evenings you’ll be wishing for in a few months.
That’s what those posts I was seeing were warning. The old-timers have been talking about it since earlier this summer. They’ve been warning that it’s going to be an early winter.
I’ll be okay if it waits, but we all know that one thing is true in North Dakota. If you don’t like the weather now, just wait and it will change.
I was scrolling through some things I had saved on my phone and found this one. It’s just a reminder to myself that I know winter is coming, but I won’t mind if it waits. I’m not really looking forward to these days.
It’s labeled the 4 Levels of Cold and attributed to Marlo Anderson.
1. Chilly (“Might Need a Jacket” Cold)
Your breath is visible, but you convince yourself it is “refreshing.” Your car seat is cold, but not judgmental. You question if gloves are necessary, then regret your decision 10 minutes later.
2. Freezing (“Regret Not Layering” Cold)
Your nose starts running a marathon it didn’t sign up for. Your hands go numb, but you pretend you can still text. The wind whispers, “Told you so.”
3. Arctic (“This is a Bad Idea” Cold)
You stop feeling your face and start questioning your life choices. Your car makes sounds like it’s reconsidering its purpose in life. The wind doesn’t just blow, it slaps. Hard.
4. North Dakota Cold (“Why Do I Live Here?” Cold)
You open the door, and the cold enters your soul. Your eyelashes freeze, and you consider it a new winter fashion trend. The weather app just says, “Don’t.” Your car refuses to start, and honestly, you understand. The wind doesn’t hurt; it insults you on the way to work.
It’ll still be awhile before we see these conditions, but you’ve been warned. Get out and enjoy every nice day we have between now and the onset of winter. You never know when that will happen here. There are some models that have showing a North Dakota fall flip by mid-October. We all know these systems sneak in during October. I remember buying Halloween costumes to fit over snowsuits when Amanda was little. There were years we went trick or treating in snowbanks. Then again, there have been years when it was beautiful. The only thing we know for sure is that North Dakota weather is unpredictable.