The unseasonable fall-like temperatures we had last week were enjoyable. This comes after a very hot summer, during which the heat index hit 100 degrees several days in July and August.
The humidity was extremely high, making it sticky and stuffy on many days. As we get older it seems like it is tougher to take on that kind of heat.
It was fantastic to have daytime temperatures in the 70s and nighttime lows in the 50s.
However, living in the Appalachian Mountains, we are blessed to experience all four seasons. The hot days of summer, the cooler days of fall with the changing colors of the trees, the cold winter months where we can get a few snowfalls and then the rebirth of spring, where April showers bring May flowers.
In many climates people mainly experience one or two types of weather. Living in Kentucky and West Virginia, we are definitely lucky when it comes to weather—if you like encountering all kinds of temperatures, precipitation and unique days and nights.
With all of the great weather we get, we sometimes also have some weeks that are not so good.
Of course it is only human to complain about the weather. We have all done that. It is too cold. Or it is too hot. It is raining too much. I wish it would snow. I hope this snowfall does not hit.
If you think about it, many conversations start about the weather. It is an ice breaker, no pun intended. It is part of our culture to talk about the weather. No matter where you live or travel, you cannot go wrong by starting a conversation about the weather.
Talking about the weather can vary. We can converse about how nice the weather is on a current day or how yucky it can be the next day.
The weather affects us in so many ways. You dress according to how hot or cold it is going to be, or if it is going to be raining or snowing. I am sure many of you are ready to break out the sweaters, hoodies and autumn jackets.
Before long you will be dressing for the cold, frosty mornings as you head out to work or school. But by the afternoon you will want to shed a layer.
Lately, if you are like me, it has only been short pants, T-shirts and light-colored clothing to try to beat the heat.
However, because of all the fluctuations in our weather, we should consider ourselves lucky to be able to enjoy all four seasons.
“Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it,” Mark Twain said.
I could not have said it any better myself.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)