A Cup of Coffee

Weather Channel

It is finally fall. It is usually not very easy to say that, since we tend not to have much differences from season to season -- it is usually just hot and hotter. Summer was a weird affair this year, I can prove that by my air conditioning statistics. From January the 21st till March, I didn't have to turn it on a single night. Then there were a few warmer days, and in April, I had to keep it on for ten days in a string. Last week, things changed dramatically. We have been having rain since Monday night, not drizzle, downpouring rain. The temperatures went down and we all had stuffy noses for a while. Weather forecast services attested that we would be having sunny and warmer weather on the weekend, but it didn't come true. We had patchy skies, all right. But violent showers too.

I don't really complain about the temperature drop. The bad thing about it is that it is so extreme for us that the body complains. It leaves me sleepier and hungrier than usual, but again, I think it is just the body adapting to the outward changes. I like the smell of rain. On the first night of it, I had left the air conditioning on, and I was awake by that earthy smell. I like to hear the sound of the raindrops too, and the wind. What I don't like is not to be able to walk around as freely. During summer, rain is a relief. These days it is simply cold.

When I go to the US, one of the things that fascinates me is the different patterns of the weather, especially in winter. If I am left on my own, I might watch the Weather Channel for hours listening about icy rain, sleet, hail, snow and blizzards. These things strike my fancy like volcanoes do (I confess I read all about volcanoes and dream of visiting some). That is what happens when you come from a country with no mountains that high, no winters that cold, no winds that strong.  

posted by Livia de Almeida @ 9:54 PM