Friday, 10/9

“You're gonna take advantage of this weekend, right?”

That is a statement that, I don't think, people not from Marquette or the UP really get. But I spoke with two people yesterday, both of whom, like me, were born up here, and both of them uttered the statement (or a version of it).

And you'd better believe I AM taking advantage of this upcoming weekend, assuming that it turns out as promised.

You see, it's supposed to be sunny and 80 both Saturday and Sunday, and just based on reality it'll probably be the last time it's sunny & 80 until, oh, 2029. That may not mean much to some people, but to those of us who've lived here forever, I think it's a sign that we have to take advantage of it while it's here. We have to get outside, soak up the sun, and enjoy the warmth, because we know it won't be back for a long, long time.

And that, I think, is what some people don't get.

Maybe it's in the water up here, or maybe it's in our DNA, but it just seems to me that if we know we're looking at the last nice few days (or even hours) before winter finally settles in, we HAVE to enjoy. It's like we don't even have a choice; we just have to. I've always wondered if it was just me who felt that way, but after my conversations yesterday it's nice to know that I'm not alone.

You have to use it or lose it, I guess. And if you lose it? Well, it stays lost for a long, long time.

Hope you take advantage of our last nice days until 2029 this weekend. And by the way, we have another corporate holiday Monday, so I'll be off. A new one of these is yours Tuesday, maybe even with tales of how I spent MY last nice weekend of the year!

(jim@wmqt.com), excited about the (potential) warmth.