October

A month to remember each year. My father-in-law claimed it was the best month because of its soft air. Soft air. A great term for temperatures that are comfortable, low humidity and soft breezes. Yes. The air is soft. In the month of October. I know of no other month that can lay claim to that factoid.

And here we are on the 28th of the month. The end of the month almost. And yet in this build up to fall and soon to follow winter, this October has been filled with daily temps in the 70’s, and a few 80’s. Very little rain. Some rain at night. Daytime weather has been kind and gentle. A lot of soft air this year.

April this year was variable with growing warmth, some cold temps, lots of rain and often uncomfortable weather. May was much better. Still somewhat cool for that time of year, but a growing warmth toward summer.

So, 2024 had a summer of May through October, 6 months pleasant weather. Hot spells were short and easily survived. A bunch of 80’s, but that warmth is expected and comfortable.

Humidity was good all summer long. Nothing drastically damp, just normal levels and pleasant. Mostly.

2024 was a year so far very nice. As winter months disappeared, cold snaps were short, snow was not heavy, and variable temperatures made winter better than most. Summer months we have already covered. What’s left is fall and the beginning of winter. What will it bring?

The Almanac says winter 2024/25 will be driven by El Nina. The weather will be cooler than last year, but still not severe. Snow totals will grow toward the norms. All in all, winter this time around promises to be easily managed.

That makes 2024 one of the most pleasant years of weather I can recall in my 81 years. Not shabby at all. I can now anticipate the next few months being softer than normal. Of course, this forecast is for the Midwest. Other regions will be different in their own ways. But here? Pretty darn OK.

And that’s a good thing!

October 28, 2024

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more