Our Yo-Yo Weather - and our Whines

Freezing rain and ice covered our roads this morning. Our schools had two-hour delays. (With bad weather expected to change, schools around here start two hours later than normal instead of canceling all together -- they do this in PA, NJ, and DE, but never did when we lived in Rochester, NY. I wonder if school delays are unique to mid-Atlantic states.)

And, don't you know, it's going to be 50 degrees (F) by this afternoon (after 20s overnight last night). And it's supposed to be 60 degrees on Sunday.

No wonder we battle colds all winter long (or so it seems). It doesn't deep-freeze long enough here to kill germs or let us acclimate.

Bother bother bother.

We humans. I tell ya. If we can't whine about anything else, we'll whine about the weather. Here's a sampling of weather comments I hear routinely in our southeastern-PA weather belt:

Summer:

• "Oh, I just can't stand this humidity. I get sooooooo sticky. Yuk."
  
• "The only thing this weather is good for is napping in central air."

Fall:

• "When is it going to get cold already? These 80-degree days in October are just a bit much to take."
  
• [sniff] "Fall allergies...[snuffle]...I'm miserable til the first frost."

Winter:

• "I can never seem to get warm; I alway feel chilled when it's this damp all the time."
  
• An actually conversation with a cashier last week: Me: "That was some heavy rain we had last night, eh?" Cashier: "Shhhhhhhhhh!....at least it wasn't the "s" word; rain's a whole lot better than that other stuff." ("s-word" = snow).

Spring:

• "Hot this soon? What happened to moderate temperatures?"
• [sniff] "Spring allergies...[snuffle]...I'm miserable til the hot, dry days of August."

Whine, whine, whine, whine, whine.

Now, contrast the human reaction with the typical reaction of the average Labrador retriever:

• Summer: Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! We get to play ... in the water!!!! (Notice Ridge barking with enthusiasm below):

• Fall: Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! We get to play ... in that brown squishy stuff that seeps between our toes and covers our noses (Kenya last March)!

• Winter: Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! We get to play ... in the white fluffy stuff that's so much fun to pounce on and roll around in (Elsie and Baxter in 2006)!

• Spring: Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! We get to play ... outside with Dad (notice the tongue action expressing their enthusiasm -- Yes, Elsie has always had the longest tongue-hang).

"Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! We get to play!" Life is one big opportunity as far as Labs are concerned:

• There's no such thing as bad weather, only new experiences to enjoy.
• There's no such thing as strangers, only new best friends to meet.
• There's no such thing as work; only the chance to help, serve, or please someone.
  
• There's no such thing as weariness, only an excuse to nap in a sunny spot on the rug.
• There's no such thing as loneliness, only an opportunity to give affection.
• There's no such thing as too small a couch, only a chance to snuggle more closely.
  

You'll never find a Lab complaining (well, unless dinner's late, and then it's not really a complaint as much as it's a plea!).

I think they're on to something.

Maybe it's time to follow their lead for a change.

'Til next time,
Joan