Weather gives us plenty to talk about on the Canadian Riviera

Up here, near Gitche Gumee, weather has certainly been on our minds of late. Cold enough for you? You betcha! No Superiorite could or would deny that! At our 6 a.m. coffee group Dandy Don described our area as “the Canadian Riviera.” Fits us doesn’t it?

Weather is an everyday topic for most of us. Some more than others of course. My father-in-law seemed to have an endless obsession with weather and my mother-in-law would try to get him to move on to another topic saying, “We will have weather, whether or not!” And, of course, we do but that never stopped Dan.

Some of our area citizens who can afford the additional expense and time off travel south for part of our winter season. Why not follow the birds who fly south? Fair weather fans, I call them.

They have given up on winter without giving it its proper due. Often these are retired folks whose work days are over, and ones that don’t really and truly agree with us folks who call this God’s country.

So here is my analysis. Actually there is no bad weather, but there are at least four different kinds of weather as I view the subject — sun, rain, wind and snow.

Have you noticed on a sunny day how people are more upbeat? People seem to shrivel on a dark dreary day oftentimes forgetting to even say hello to people they meet. Not so on a sunny day.

There is actually something delicious, gratifying and uplifting about a sunny day.

Rain is refreshing, not only to the food crops that wither, shrivel and die without moisture but to those of us who sense the need for water and provide it by hose watering the lawn when the rain has been inadequate. On one of my first drives through Missoula, Mont., I saw lawns being watered during rain and wondered why. After living a few summers in Montana I knew why. Rain was to be truly appreciated and enjoyed. Natural rains were inadequate and even on a hot, dry, sultry day it was exhilarating to experience real rain even if they were getting a little bit wet in their Sunday’s best apparel.

Indian rain dances were common in dry years and timing was ultimately discovered to be a crucial outcome.

Wind braces us up. We walk a little more briskly and firmly.

No person ever worked their way anywhere in a dead calm. We are somewhat akin to kites that rise against the wind, not with it. I used a few lines from an old poem when giving commencement speeches to illustrate the need for goal setting:

“One ship drives East and another West while the self same breezes blow.”

Tis the set of the sail and not the gale that bids them where we go. But they needed the wind or they weren’t going to go any place.

Wind is truly exhilarating and necessary; human beings don’t do as well either in deadly calm.

Now to the value of snow. In the Canadian Riviera snow is not so easy to sell.

It is unadulteratedly beautiful as it covers the landscape with that clean, pure and majestic coat. When it doesn’t come early enough to insulate water pipes, we can incur a good deal of unwelcome expense. It blankets us with an enchanting purity, which may not stay that way long, but it is purifying and exhilarating in the meantime.

Living on the big lake, while a most beautiful part to the nation, makes weather prediction even more of a problem, but weathermen all over the nation have engendered many negative and humorous comments:

Science can predict an eclipse of the sun many years in advance, but weathermen cannot accurately predict the weather over the coming weekend.

The only person who is constantly wrong and still keeps their job is the weatherman.

The sophisticated equipment of today’s weatherman is what enables him to explain in greater detail why he was went wrong in his prediction.

The weather forecaster in a certain Southern City who had an unusually unfortunate predicting record recently reported, “For tonight I predict darkness.”

And one that an old fella, like me, understands very well: Weather forecasting is still a few hours behind arthritis.”

Bernie Hughes, Ed.D., is a retired educator who resides in Superior. He can be reached at Bernie1@cpinternet.com.