Sunday, July 27, 2008

Weather or Not

Let me start off by saying that I have a wonderful son! When we left Ned's yesterday, I left behind my stainless steel coffee cup. The cup I use every day. The cup which keeps my coffee hot, because I hate lukewarm coffee. I immediately called Ned and asked him to bring it when he came later to help Walt with moving the furniture.

But when he showed up, he said he had put the cup out to bring and then forgot it. This morning I had to use a plastic cup, which wasn't nearly the same. It didn't have the right "mouth feel" and it didn't keep the coffee warm as long.

coffeecup.jpg (51839 bytes)

We took the puppies up to Petco, which is right near Peet's and I very nearly went to Peet's to get a new cup, because who knew when I'd see Ned again. But it was just too hot to walk all that way to get a coffee cup, so I didn't. I would do it later in the week, I thought.

Mid-afternoon, someone knocked on the door. Lo and behold it was Ned and Marta, who were having dinner in Davis and made sure to bring my coffee cup, because they knew I would be missing it.

I love Ned. I love Marta. I love my coffee cup!

But while I'm complaining about the weather, here's a cool (get it?) weather meme...

1. what is the best memory you have of a day that was absolutely freezing and cold?

Well, when you grow up in San Francisco, you don't exactly have "freezing" weather. So the closest I've ever come to "freezing" was the rare winter trips we took to Lake Tahoe. Watching the kids making snowmen outside Walt's mother's condo was always fun. Most unusual memory, though, was the time we arrived at midnight, unloaded all the kids and headed them to the cabin and bed and then realized that we were missing Tom. A search of the house and no Tom. Walt checked outside and apparently instead of walking into the house, Tom had headed to the first snowbank and fell asleep on it.

2. what is your best memory of a rainy day you have spent in your life?

I don't know how old I was, but either grammar school or high school age, and I really don't have a clue why this is always the memory I think of when I think about rain, but it's a very simple memory of sitting in the window of our flat on a steep hill in San Francisco, and watching the rain pouring down and cascading down the hill. Watching people struggle to walk up the hill against the rain. Watching cars try to drive up and stop at the stop sign at the top of the hill. It was better than television.

3. what is your best memory of a day where it was blistering hot?

Again, it's an oddball memory, but I was about 13 years old and spend two weeks with Peach and her family in Citrus Heights, which is about 30 miles from here. It was 113 degrees out and we had walked to the "little store" where we used to get snacks. We were coming back and the air was very still, mirages of pools of water on the road ahead of us. I had my hair in a pony tail and Peach was standing behind me braiding the pony tail. I remember thinking at the time "I will always remember this moment" -- and I do.

4. what is the weirdest weather phenomenon you can remember experiencing anywhere?

Does an eclipse count? Very weirdest thing I've ever experienced was a full eclipse of the sun. I stood outside when the thing was completely full and marveled at how nothing looked "normal." There was an other-worldly look to everything for those few minutes until the moon started moving away from the sun again. I've never experienced anything like it before or since.

5. what type of weather can you NOT stand?

Second to the top would be hot weather. Top would be hot humid weather. The only thing that makes Sacramento Valley summers palatable (other than air conditioning -- when it works) is that it is a dry heat. I'd rather experience 100 degrees in Davis than 80 in San Francisco, for that reason.

6. the opposite of question 5... what is the best type of weather for you?

I'm a San Francisco girl. I love fog. But once in a while a crystal clear sunny (and cool) days is nice too. I also love being in heavy rain. I love listening to it on the windows or on the roof. I don't even mind being out in it running errands, as long as I don't have too many errands to run.

7. have you visited a place that has the ideal climate for you, and would you move there at any time in your life?

From all I hear of my friends in the Seattle area they can't stand the grey, the rain, the cold. Wikipedia says that there is an average of 37.1 inches per year. I keep saying I don't believe them because every time I've been there, it's been gorgeous. But I suspect that I could tolerate the Seattle area weather very well.

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