Monday, 6/19

“You owe me restitution”!

That line, from my second favorite Charlie Brown cartoon ever (and bonus points if you know from which cartoon that line comes) has popped into my head recently when thinking about the “summer” we've had, at least here in Marquette, so far this year. We've had many days when the forecast sounded promising then turned out to be nothing like what it was supposed to be, and we've had days when the forecast sounded promising yet a lake breeze decided to play tricks on us. The rain we've had the past three or four (or is it five) Sundays is a perfect example, and yesterday's non-stop drenching marked the first time that I actually said the above-quoted line about restitution out loud.

And now I can't seem to stop.

Yes, I know that complaining about the weather is about as futile as trying to change the weather. There's nothing you can do about it. You get what you get, and you have to take it, no matter how much you may loathe it. You'd think that after living here most of my adult life I'd realize that. But for some bizarre reason I still think that Mother Nature is making this personal, that she's doing this just to make me whine. Yes, I know that I have absolutely no bearing on the weather, and whatever happens is not because of me. I'm self-aware enough to know that.

I just wish Mother Nature knew that, too.

8-)

(And, just an aside, I'm not the only one who has thoughts on the topic. There was a sign outside White's Party Store in Marquette over the weekend that said, and I'm quoting, “Someday the entire weekend will be nice. Until then, there's alcohol”).

I know I shouldn't complain, not when you look around other parts of the planet and see extreme heat or extreme drought or extreme rain (and as an aside, we're currently living through the hottest year, planet-wide, on record, with some areas being either dryer or wetter than they've ever been before. Maybe Mother Nature's just pissed we broke the planet, and is taking it out on us.). In that respect, we're lucky. We have enough water to live normal lives, we're not dying because of flooding or extreme temperatures, and our lives, unlike the lives of many people, aren't torn asunder by weather. Just because it's 10 degrees cooler than it should be, or a little rainier than normal, or because we have a breeze coming off the world's largest freshwater lake, a lake that still has water in it, is no reason to complain.

I know that. I realize that. So yes, I should stop complaining about it. Yet still, for some weirdly bizarre reason, I still think Mother Nature owes us restitution.

And no, I don't know why.

I'll shut up about the weather now. After all, I'm sure you're tired of me complaining about it, the same way you're tired of me waxing rhapsodic about lilacs. Besides, our summer has to show up SOME day, right?

Right?

(jim@wmqt.com)