Weather Geeks

July 21st, 2007

It seems that many of the bloggers I’ve been reading have shared my pain with the summer drought…In fact, everyone is commenting on the weather.

I know. I know. It’s the nature of gardeners to be worried about the weather. But I have to confess. I am more than a little interested in the climactic events in our world.

When I see a mackerel sky, backlit in oranges and yellows by the sun, I always wonder “Why?” I know the old sailors’ adage, “Mackerel sky. Not long wet and not long dry.” But I don’t know why that’s the case.

And when I see a weather map in the local paper with those spiky little lines ominously headed my way, I don’t know whether to be worried or overjoyed.

Given my curiosity about our natural world, I really need to learn more about the weather. In fact, I have long contemplated putting in my own little weather station.

No. I am not kidding you. And no, I do not think this is an abnormal interest.

I knew a fellow a while back who was miraculously elected to public office. I say “miraculously” because he was singularly unremarkable. Even his friends had to contemplate whether or not they wanted to vote for the guy. So, naturally, I was curious to what he attributed his electoral success.

“It was the Weather Channel,” he told me.

The Weather Channel?

He told me that with his limited campaign funds, largely weaseled out of his parents (he didn’t tell me that part), he dumped ALL of his campaign advertising dollars into the Weather Channel. It seems that people who are interested in watching the weather on television also make their voting decisions by watching Weather Channel television ads.

Apparently, there are a LOT of weather geeks out there.

The reason I bring it up today is that there was an article in the Washington Post on Thursday that featured a number a weather geeks. You can read the whole article, “Eyes on the Skies: Backyard Weather Watchers, Tracking Raindrops and Wind Gusts” by searching for it on the Washington Post website.

But since I DETEST websites that require you to provide your name and contact information before sharing what they have to offer, I will tell you, more or less, what the article had to say.

1) There are a LOT of weather geeks. (Already proven by the above, I think.)

2) Sometimes, chance encounters, such as meeting the esteemed Willard Scott, inspire the interest. Sometimes it’s just in the DNA.

3) You can spend a LOT of money on a home weather station. The Post reported one fellow with more than $1,000 of weather equipment mounted on top of his garage.

4) If you are hot on the weather, you can join the American Meteorological Society. (There is a society for EVERYTHING. I happen to know this because I do research for bunches of them.) There is also a system of observer networks located regionally.

You don’t have to spend a ton of money to have your own personal weather station. In its sidebar, “Five Basic Weather Widgets,” the Post tells you that the basic tools are:

1) A thermometer (duh). The Post advocates one of those digital thermometers with sensors you can place outdoors and monitor that goes indoors. And who are you to argue with the Post, eh? The weather geek quoted liberally in the article says the Radio Shack EMR662, for $29.99, has a range of 100 feet and is a good one. You can also go upscale with a thermometer that has a radiation shield for $65 from Davis Instruments.

Personally, I have one that I bought from Wal-Mart for a song. Sure, the time/date feature never did work, but the temp is more or less on target.

2) Rain gauge (duh, again). Mostly, the key is location, location, location. Put it away from the house and trees. (Duh.) You can go digital here too, but that seems to be overkill for what it does. Just talk outside and look at it already.

Personally, I have a small rain gauge with little frogs on it. Even the local weather guesser quoted in the article has a small decorative one that she says works just fine and dandy.

3) Barometer. Now this I don’t have. I desperately want a barometer. A barometer seems a very desirable thing to have. I LONG for a barometer. I want to boast to people I am a barometer owner and watcher. A barometer is on my Christmas wish list. What does a barometer do? No idea. When I get one and read the instructions, I will report in.

4) Weather radio. Now THIS, I DO NOT agree with. These are annoying little electronic contraptions that squawk any time they get the idea that something weather-related is happening and talk to you WHETHER YOU WANT IT TO OR NOT. I do not like intrusions. I do not want an electronic report bleeping at me that there is a rise in air temperature.

5) Journal. This is a handy place to keep good records of precipitation, temperature, wind direction, humidity, air pressure and such.

Get real. This is geekery beyond what I can support or even humor. Yes, I know that some bloggers notate the temperature for the day. That is okay. But to go into more detail is too far close to the edge for comfort. I’m thinking that some Obsessive Compulsive Disorder medication might be in order. Like for that goofy food blogger I was reading for a while who posted EVERY SINGLE DAY what she had for dinner the night before. It was like peeking into a psychologist’s notes to see what that girl was thinking about.

So go forth, my friends. I wish you fair weather. And reliable instruments.

Ciao,

Posted In: Gardening, Lifestyle

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Garden Update

July 19th, 2007

Before I fall asleep from sheer exhaustion, I thought I would offer a few updates on the garden and general Bumblebee environs.

It appears that we will soon have quite a few musk melons for our after-dinner treat. I have absolutely no clever ideas how to eat a melon except perhaps mixed with other fruit and with some whipped cream. Surely, there must be some recipes somewhere for all these melons?

Melon soufflé? (Ick). Melon pie? (Double ick.) Melon crepes? (Gimme a break.) Melon cookies? (Not.)

What the heck do you do with a melon besides, well, eat the melon?

Musk Melons

Although we continue to harvest copious quantities of cucumbers, they are actually inedible because they are terribly bitter. I am growing compost food.

A Google search tells me that cucumbers “under stress” will taste bitter, although they can recover with time and care.

Stress can be caused by poor nutrition or drought. I’m voting for drought.

Although I have been watering nearly every singe day, my own personal belief is that water from a hose isn’t nearly as good as half as much water from the sky. And unfortunately, we have only had about 1/2″ of rain in about the past 6-7 weeks.

In fact, the garden is altogether looking a bit stressed because I’m spending nearly all my time garden time hand watering and not enough time doing other things such as cleaning up and dead-heading.

Sigh…

Also, the moles have moved in. In my master gardener class, I remember that they talked about how mulched pathways were a fine habitat for moles. Well, I am here to tell you that this does, indeed, appear to be the case. We have lovely mulched paths throughout the Colonial theme garden. But walking through the paths is now like walking on marshmallows, the paths are so very aerated and squishy from the mole work. The other day, I even TRIPPED on a mole hill!

It’s quite a quandary since I don’t want to introduce chemicals to deter the moles where I grow my food.

Sigh (again)…

On another note…If it seems that I have been absurdly home-based lately, never fear. I head to Chicago this weekend where I will visit the botanical gardens. On August 8, I will head to Denver where I will visit the botanical gardens there. And then I will soon after visit Lake Toxaway in North Carolina, where the vegetation is just aching to be photographed. Naturally, I will submit all my travel reports to Bumblebee Blog.

Oh…and my friend Angela and I are headed to Las Vegas in September, compliments of the Venetian. They seem to have gotten it into their heads that I will spend money there, so they are giving me a suite for three nights and a bunch of tokens to waste in the slot machines. Truly, they want their $2,000 that I won on a fluke a few months ago while there on business.

Angela is really the gambler and plays in regular poker tournaments. She is also quite adventurous. During her last visit to Vegas with a guy-pal, she not only played poker, she accompanied him to a girlie show and went to some seedy venue where she got to shoot a Tommy gun. I am hoping for a bit more high-brow entertainment. Firearms and fake boobs don’t appeal to me.

I wonder if Angela would go hiking? Or on one of those night time tours of the desert using night vision goggles? Angela?

And, by the way, I take my 16-year-old son to get his drivers license tomorrow. Life will never be the same.

Until next time…

Posted In: Gardening, Lifestyle

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