Wonderful Weather

How many of us have recognized the outstanding weather we have enjoyed in Illinois these past few years? Mild winters to start with, warm and gentle springs as well, and then fall seasons with slowly chilling temps while leaves display their rainbow hues.

That leaves summer to ponder. Warm to be sure, but not violent storms. Some heat spells but none so long as to brown the lawns. Greenery remains green and flowers brighten our landscapes. Beautiful summer months to enjoy.

I know I spend most days indoors, being retired has eliminated the mandatory commuting and regional travels. But even then, I volunteered to provide free consulting and mentoring of small and nonprofit businesses. COVID demanded we learn about Zoom and use it. I did, and continued to avoid commuting.

That lifestyle allowed me to enjoy the bad weather without pain or exposure. The working population couldn’t do that, so bad weather remained in your experience zone and you would know better than I how much bad weather we actually had. I could rhapsodize on the beautiful weather without the shadow of the bad.

Still, in my many years of commuting (train, walking, bicycling, and finally driving) I managed to deal with lots of bad weather. That taught me to cherish the good days, however.

A quick scan of weather systems throughout the United States, will help compare our weather with those others. In recent years we really have had cooler temperatures, manageable rainfalls, lack of droughts, avoidance of blizzards and damaging, painful storm systems. Changing climate has not been drastic in the Chicago metro region. For that I rejoice and hope you can as well.

Afterall, good weather teaches us what bad weather looks like. We have had plenty of that in past years, so now we can enjoy the opposite. For as long as it lasts.

What a blessing.

July 9, 2025

 

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