Murphy's Weather

Currently 62 with a S wind of 3 mph ignoring that, so it feels like 62. Dew Point 52, Humidity 70%, Barometer 30.07, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 8:02 am, Sunset 6:49 pm. Some morning clouds, more as the afternoon goes on. High upper 70s. S winds 5 – 10 mph.

Partly cloudy tonight, low upper 50s. S winds 5 – 10 mph.

Sounds as if rain is in our forecast starting tomorrow and lasting a few days, after which the temperature is slated to fall and stay down where it should be. This unseasonable warmth has been nice but we knew it couldn’t last. The coming rain will help bring down more leaves, but the dampness will hold the leaf blowers at bay for awhile at least. Not for long, I imagine.

Shattered Silence

Leaf blowers. A wonderful invention, but couldn’t the creator of said wonder have produced something a tad more on the quiet side?

Sort of like snow blowers in the winter, right? Noise seems to be necessary to get the job done whether lofting leaves into the air or shooting snow into mountains.

And I’m grateful for both, truly I am. And I’d never complain to the wielder of the machine – in the first place, they’d never be able to hear me and in the second place what would be the outcome of my complaint? Leaves left on the driveway, snow on the driveway? Best to keep my thoughts to myself, I reckon.

But my ears simply don’t care for the noise. Even closing all the windows, it’s still overpowering. Alas…

Currently 57 with a WNW wind of 6 mi ignoring that, so it feels like the 57 it is. Dew Point 40, Humidity 53%, Barometer 30.04, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 8:00 am, Sunrise 6:53 pm. Sunny with a high in the mid 60s. W winds 5 – 10 mph.

Clear overnight skies. Low mid 40s. Light winds.

It’s staying warm this month. Not as cool as it usually is by this time of the year. So flowers are staying fresh longer. There are some that a fluctuating temperature doesn’t appear to bother too much. And among those are one of my favorites.

I know I allow my imagination to go wild, but I swear, the other day I was frowned on by a flower. Immediately wondering, was I wearing the wrong shoes? Trotting where feet should not trot? No…I think that was the usual face that particular flower presents to the world. Indignant.

There is something so fascinating about a Pansy. Like I already said, one of my favorites. They wear their emotion right there on their faces. Indignant, unhappy, happy.  Or nothing if you choose not to participate in the game. I can well see they would merely look like a flower for some. But for me? Not so much. Their tiny personalities speak to me and I listen. Or at least I look.  I’m always happy when I see one giving me a face that says I’m okay, they will at least tolerate me among them. Doesn’t happen often. But once in awhile.

And a nice thing about this particular posy? They stand up to cooler weather so they hang around awhile as our seasons shift into the next one in line. Gotta love that.

Currently 52 degrees with a SSW wind of 10 mph putting that down where it feels like 48. Dew Point 42, Humidity 68%, Barometer 30.15, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:59 am, Sunset 6:53 pm. Sunny today with a high of 68. SSW winds 10 – 20 mph.

A few overnight passing clouds, low 51. SW winds 10 – 15 mph.

What a small, strange weather world we live in.

Way back in the ‘olden days’, when the only hint folks had about the weather was the ache in their bones, the strips on caterpillars, squirrels hoarding food, keeping an eagle eye on the clouds, etc. seems so bizarre now. These days we have world-wide weather maps showing us what’s going on at any given moment, with expert meteorologists doing a darn fine job of letting us know what’s coming at us in the next season. And to find out that those forecasts consist of what’s going on with the weather all over the globe, is astonishing. Mind-blowing.

Right now we’re watching former Hurricane Ophelia batter Ireland and head into Scotland, we’re keeping an eye on Super Typhoon taking aim at Japan….all the while we’re seeing the destruction in Puerto Rico from their recent hurricane and the horrendous wildfires due to Santa Ana winds in California…it’s all consuming. Weather knowledge overload sometimes.

It IS a small world, after all.

Currently 52 degrees with a SSW wind of 14 mph bringing that down to feeling like 48. Dew Point 44, Humidity 73%, Barometer 30.14 & falling, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:58 am, Sunset 6:55 pm. Sunny with a few afternoon clouds. High 65. SW winds 15 – 25 mph.

Partly cloudy tonight with a low of 46. SW winds 5 – 10 mph.

One the street where I live there is traffic. A lot. It’s sort of a shortcut from the busy town of Rockford to the even busier city of Grand Rapids, an alternative route cutting miles off from getting to the expressway and in. The sound is a bit muted as it’s way up at the end of a long, winding driveway, but it’s there. It’s especially interesting on a rainy night.

I’ve always loved the sound of traffic and in the middle of the night, when I can’t sleep, it provides endless entertainment for me. If I don’t have rain to listen to, or a snow storm slapping against the window, there is the traffic. Where are all of those people going in the night? To work? Home from work? Home from the closing of a bar? On the way to an airport – what, to pick someone up? To leave on an exotic vacation? Where? On a cruise? Or to fly off to the bedside of a dying relative? Are they on the way to an all-night fast food place for a snack? Or for a craving of a very pregnant wife? Heading in to a medical procedure scheduled at some cruel early morning hour? Is it a doctor or a nurse on the way in to that hospital? That truck…is it carrying groceries to my favorite stores?

Well, as you can see, I never, ever run out of possibilities – could probably run on forever. But when I don’t want to turn on the light and read, or get up and make Sleep Tea, or reach over to grab the Smartphone to play a game or check e-mails or Facebook or Twitter, I can lay there and conjure up stories galore just from the sound of the traffic.

That endless entertainment of the traffic.

Currently 45 degrees with a SSE wind of 3 mph ignoring that, so it feels like 45. Dew Point 42, Humidity 85%, Barometer 30.29, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:56 am, Sunset 6:58 pm. Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of morning showers, turning sunny in the afternoon. High mid 50s. SW winds 5 – 10 mph with gusts to 20 in the afternoon.

Mostly clear tonight. Low in the lower 40s. SW winds 5 – 10 mph.

Little splashes of color. Little surprises for the eye.

Opening the blinds this morning I find just the top of one tree bathed in sunlight. Brilliant. Made me smile.

Don’t you love those unexpected bursts of color? A vibrant blue butterfly suddenly flitting past your eyes…a Cardinal zooming in to land in your backyard, that marvelous show of red an immediate cheer-up…driving in the rain and spotting a colorful yellow umbrella guarding someone on the sidewalk…in the spring the sudden explosion of vivid green among the drab colors left over from winter.

Doesn’t take much to cheer me up. Simply offer me an unexpected splurge of color in an otherwise colorless or drab scene and I’m delighted. More than delighted, it sets my imagination aglow and I’m off in a world of words…

What can I say? Color makes me happy.

Currently 57 degrees with an average W wind of 15 mph pulling this down to feeling like 54. Dew Point 55, Humidity 94%, Barometer 29.69 & rising, Visibility 6 mi, Sunrise 7:56 am, Sunset 6:59 pm. Cloudy with a 90% chance of morning rain, High 57. Windy. NW winds 20 – 30 mph gusting to 40 mph. There is a Flood Warning out for many local areas and a High Wind Warning in effect all day long. Measured 2.1″ of rain in the gauge overnight.

Cloudy with a slight chance of overnight rain. Low 41. NW winds 10 – 20 mph decreasing to less than 5 mph.

Wow – Pooh would be impressed – it’s a blustery day. Well, actually I think today might be out of Pooh’s comfort zone. It’s beyond blustery into plain old windy. So windy that I just watched a little bird try to fly up to the seed sock hanging in the back, almost got there when a gust of wind hit him to make him look like a hover craft for a second or two – then I swear I saw his little bird brain decide, “The heck with this. Too much trouble. I’ll come back later. Or tomorrow.” And he flew back off to whence he came.

Should be a lot of leaves come down today, between the rain and the wind. Measured more than 2” of rain overnight – to the tune of Flood Warnings all over the place – to High Wind Alerts in place all day long. The thing is, this fall is not one of our best. Leaves aren’t turning like they should, they’ve mostly decided to hang on forever or they’re falling green. If they’re achieving any color it’s brown for the most part.

A good day to stay inside and putter around. My favorite sort of day, come to think of it.

Currently 59 with a SSW wind of 8 mph pulling that down a notch to feeling like 58. Dew Point 56, Humidity 90%, Barometer 30.13 & rising, Visibility 8 mi, Sunrise 7:53 am, Sunset 7:02 pm. Generally cloudy today with a high around 65. SW winds 10 – 15 mph.

90% chance of overnight rain. Rainfall could amount to more than 1/4″. Low 55. Light and variable winds.

Friggatriskaidekaphobia – don’t recognize that word? Never fear – no pun intended – most don’t. It’s Fear Of Friday The 13^th. Did you know that months with a Friday the 13^th begin on a Sunday? I didn’t until just recently, and don’t really know how that information is going to enrich my life, but at least I have it. For many people, they fully expect misfortunes to abound, some won’t even venture out of their houses on such a dire date. Can’t even crawl out of bed due to rigid fear. Fancy that.

Me? No big deal. The worst thing that ever happened on a Friday the 13^th in our family? My late husband was usually laid off from work on that date. Seriously. Happened 3 times. We came to look upon that date as a time to get ready to apply for unemployment :>) Other than that, it was just another day…never had to be scared of walking under a ladder, or black cats, or meteors falling out of the sky and smacking me on the head…nothing.

So, I’m unlikely to be huddled up in fright this time around either. It’s just another day. A day in which I’m happy to be alive and unhampered by unreasonable fear.

Currently 52 degrees with an E wind of 10 mph dropping that down to feeling like 48. Dew Point 49, Humidity 86%, Barometer 30.20, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:52 am, Sunset 7:03 pm. Cloudy today with a high of 61. ESE winds 5 – 10 mph.

Cloudy with the chance of a few overnight showers. Low 54. S winds of 5 mph.

I feel so protected here. Watching the mess in Puerto Rico, the fires in California, the newest hurricane, Ophelia, heading toward the UK and Ireland…I can only offer up a sincere thank you for being where I am. I’m traumatized watching the scenes of what is left from the wild fires in California. So many people dead and missing. The colossal destruction of what is left of the island of Puerto Rico. Wondering and worrying about what the very strong winds of Ophelia will do once she slams onshore on the other side of the ocean. Just insane.

This is a wild world we live in. It’s managed to shrink into a small, small world all right, but in doing so, it has subjected us all to the woes and trials of everyone, everywhere. It’s almost emotional overload for me. Nature can be so kind, so comforting, so welcoming – and then turn into a raging terrifying monster at other times. Not good. Not good at all.

I just want to stay safe, watch my clouds, and feel like I live in a cocoon most of the time. Can’t be that way, I know, but if I had my druthers…..

Currently 52 degrees with a NE wind 17 mph dropping that to feeling like 46. Dew Point 51, Humidity 99%, Barometer 30.06 & falling, Visibility 2.2 mi, Sunrise 7:50 am, Sunset 7:07 pm. 100% chance of rain today. Low 50. ENE 10 – 20 mph.

Cloudy tonight, low 40. NE winds 10 – 15 mph with gusts to 25.

What do you know? Mother Nature opened the floodgates hereabouts and we got a good 1 1/2″ of rain overnight. Almost forgot what it sounded like to lay in bed and listen to just rain.  No wind, no thunder, lightening. Simply rain falling down. So peaceful. Made the listener feel like there was no other place on earth to be but nestled up in bed hearing nothing but that –  just rain. A lovely sound, especially after not having that experience for so long. I can’t even, honestly, remember the last time we got a good, steady, long-lasting rain.

Thank you Mother Nature. I take back all the mean things I’ve been thinking and saying about you. For now.

Currently 54 degrees with a NE wind of 10 mph dropping that to feeling like 51. Dew Point 45, Humidity 72%, Barometer 30.17 & rising, Visibility 10 mi, Sunrise 7:50 am, Sunset 7:07 pm. Partly cloudy this morning with a 30% chance of rain this afternoon. High 70. ENE winds 10 – 15 mph.

100% chance of overnight rain. Rainfall could measure up to 1″. Low 50. ENE winds 10 -20 mph.

Finally, it does sound as if we will be getting a decent amount of rain tonight. Not that I’m totally convinced. Our weather is contrary and not exactly to be counted on with any 100% degree of certainty.

The windows in this townhouse are horrid. No way to take the crummy screens off to wash the outside of the windows, not and get them back on in any great shape, so this morning, putting my faith in the possibility of rain coming, I went out and sprayed – drenched – the outside of the windows, right through the screens, with white vinegar. Now, all Mother Nature has to do is provide water to wash it clear. (Because another thing this place doesn’t have – outside water faucets where I could simply hook up a hose and wash them. Heaven forbid something that handy should be available.) So anyway…or…I shall have to go out there and spray – drench – the windows, right through the screens, with water, with my handy spray bottle. We shall see how it goes.

Either way, it can’t be worse than it is now. Sort of a game, an experience. Or something.