Some Knowledge

There’s been a light rain falling all day.  It’s not warm, but not cool outside.  I’ve spent the morning inside reading things on the net.  Perhaps later I will go out for a ride and maybe do some shopping.  There’s only so much reading a person can do before they get bored.

I looked up some information on PR this morning.  Public relations is big business.  There were a lot of articles I paged through, all about how to get some person or product featured in a news story.  In fact, from what I’ve read in books, PR is all about writing press releases and getting newspapers and TV stations to run stories on your subject.  You’d think if they were trying to get the news industry to notice somebody, you would have that person do something that was worthy of getting on the news.  Perhaps if you are an author, your work would be what would interest people in you.  Of course, if you are already famous as an actor, maybe you can sell more of your books.

So, today is just a rainy drab day.  The leaves of the trees are beginning to turn fall colors.  We’ve already had some frost, and the nights are getting colder.  I know that soon there will be snow on the ground.  Maybe someday when I have a real empire of words on the net and am making millions of dollars a day (i.e. never) I will live in a climate where it does not get cold for half the year.  Maybe someday I will write something more positive.  As for today, I will just look at the weather as a feature of nature that I can not change, so there is no reason for it to get me down.

It’s cloudy this morning.  The air is cool and there is only a bit of a breeze.  I noticed yesterday while driving to my brother’s house that the sumac is starting to turn red.  Fall is coming on fast.

I think that autumn is probably my favorite season.  I like the heat and sun of summer, but the season lacks the drama of Fall.  Still, it is a season of things dying and is in that way sad.  I do not like cold weather or snow, but that comes along with the changing seasons.

I’ve been writing in this blog for just about seven months now, almost every day adding something.  It’s nice that I’ve gotten over 40,000 page views in such a short time.  Still, the interest in what I write tends to focus on things that are popular.  I guess this is logical.  There’s only a slim chance that some person is going to read random thoughts about the weather.  I may move on to another project.  I think I should devote my time to something that may pay off eventually.  Perhaps I will write a novel about some boy wizard who takes over the world.  Wouldn’t that be original?

With the cooler weather of Fall comes jackets and warm clothes.  I have a good collection of things to wear and don’t pay attention to what the latest fashion trends are.  I am wondering what I want to do this afternoon.  I don’t think I really want to sit in front of my computer reading and writing.  Perhaps I will go out and do some shopping or take a walk in the park.  Perhaps I will come up with an idea for a book I can write in ten days and sell for millions.  Who knows, the future holds many possibilities.  What I need now is just some time to think.

It’s another very hot and humid day.  There are a lot of clouds, and it is dark in my room without the overhead lights.  I woke up pretty early this morning and had some toast and coffee.  Then I put on my hat and boots and went out to the garden to plant winter squash.  The ground was very damp from yesterday’s rain, and a mosquito tried to bite me, but died in the process.

I’ve been sitting at my computer reading and watching videos for the last several hours.  I checked the weather report and there seem to be no major storms heading into this area.  I may go out for a while to the book store and look for a fantasy novel to read next week while I’m waiting at jury duty, which for some reason I got called up for again.  I don’t know how long I will be stuck in court doing my duty as an American citizen, but at least I will get a small amount of money for my efforts.

The weather report on the TV this morning said it was supposed to rain every day for about the next week.  I guess it’s just early summer weather.  It’s also very hot outside and very humid.  I guess summer is finally here in full force.  In any case, I have other things to think about besides the energy situation and alternative technologies for power generation.  It might be interesting to get out of the house for a while even if it means spending all day in court listening to lawyers and people pleading their case.  In all probability they will boot me off the jury and tell me not to come back.  It’s happened a number of times before.  I guess I should expect it by now.

In any case, I’m about to turn off the computer and go shopping for a while.  Maybe I will be back later with something interesting to write about.  It’s going to be a long hot summer, and the warm weather is just beginning.  I may grow a lot of flowers this year or something, just to take up space in the garden.  It will be a nice change from sitting inside all day on the computer.

There is a gentle rain falling.  In the distance, I can hear the rumble of thunder.  The month of April was relatively dry.  Now that it’s May, some rain is falling.  I’m glad it’s not a storm.  I have been seeing reports on the news of tornadoes and heavy winds that have torn apart homes and other buildings.  Storms can be very destructive.  Heavy rains can cause floods.

The sun is well-shielded behind a thick layer of clouds.  I was outside earlier this morning looking at flowers in the front yard.  The air was warm and humid, and the first little drops of rain were beginning to fall.  The air smelled like rain.  Now, it is darker and the sky hangs heavy over the horizon.  I like the gentle rain.  Plants need water to grow.  I’m listening to a shower now, coursing over the roof.  It’s very comforting to be inside on a rainy day.

I’ve spent some time this morning reading about different tropical islands.  It rains a lot in the tropics, unless of course you live in the desert.  Nothing much grows in the desert.  Cactus and other succulent plants that can store water for a long time might survive with months with no rain.  What the deserts have is sunlight.  The desert is a perfect place to build a solar power station.  You would not be able to use the land for farming.  You would not want to live in a harsh, hot, dry environment.  You could put up a trillion dollars worth of solar cells and make electricity like it’s nobody’s business.  It might take a hundred years to pay back the investment, but after that the power is basically free and endless.  Of course, there would be some maintenance.

Right now, I do not live in the desert.  I live in Michigan and it’s raining.  Soon, I will have to plow and disc the garden and plant things.  Right now there is still a danger of frost, so it is not growing season yet.  The rain is for the flowers and the lawn, which is beginning to grow.  A rainy day is the perfect day to sit inside and read and write.  I have some coffee and my computer, and need nothing else to fill my day.  The rain outside is nothing but gentle music in the background.  When the wind blows, the windchimes play their random music.  Maybe someday I will make some more chimes and sell them.  Maybe someday I will make some money.  For today, sitting here writing and listening to the rain is enough.

It’s early April and the first rains of Spring are on the way.  It was a bit cool out all day, the temperature never got much above 45.  Outside a slight drizzle is falling as the wind blows through my windchimes.  I am sitting in my room listening to cars slide by on the road out front.

The rain in the early season can go on for days on end.  Sheets of clouds cover the sky and blot out the sun for weeks.  The ground swells and grows muddy with the cold water that falls.  In the evening, lying in bed, the sound of raindrops sings you to sleep.

The rain is not so bad.  It brings fresh water to the land and lets all the plants grow and thrive once the weather turns warm.  I do not have to sweep fresh rain off the trucks or shovel it out of the driveway.  Spring rain does not build up on wires and cause power outages.  The rain makes it difficult to get outside and do things in the yard, but then, we all need days of rest and indoor activity.

I watched the clouds come in this afternoon.  I was outside getting the mail when a fresh shower peppered the front windows with large droplets of water.  It was chilly and windy and seemed like Winter was on the way back, but for now at least all we have is light rain and fresh breezes.

I remember days like this when I was a child.  Making wooden boats and sailing them in the lake in the yard that used to be the skating rink.  Watching as the leaves on the cherry tree burst out from black branches and blossoms filled the air with their fruity fragrance.  Spring is the season of new life and new beginnings.  The rain that comes only prepares for the life that will flourish in the Summer.

It’s the end of March.  The cherry trees in Washington DC are blooming.  Yet, last night, four inches of snow fell.  This is ridiculous.  Every time we get a little warm weather it turns around and snows.  In case you can’t tell, this is my complaint about the weather.

I can recall some years where it was seventy degrees in January here in Michigan.  Sure, it got cold again.  As I remember, we even had some years where it was twenty below for weeks at a time.  The weather is variable.  Still, it should eventually warm up, right?

This last snowstorm was no big deal.  It’s almost all melted now.  Still, it’s supposed to be Spring.  There is more rain and snow on the way.  I feel sorry for all the people who are being flooded out this year.  Nobody should have to put up with twelve inches of rain.  No, it is not global warming causing the weather to be screwy.  The weather is just messed up because it is the weather.

We live on a water-cooled planet.  The water in the oceans provides a means by which the temperature of the planet is regulated.  If it gets too hot, more water evaporates from the sea.  More evaporation means more clouds.  More clouds cause more sunlight to be reflected back into space.  Less sunlight being absorbed means cooler temperatures.  Thus the temperature of the planet is stabilized.  All this evaporation and condensation makes a mess out of the surface of the planet.  Without the water cycle, however, plants could not grow.  No plants, no food.  No food, no life.  We have to put up with the lousy weather because it is the weather that keeps us alive.

I really shouldn’t be complaining about the weather.  I have a house to live in.  I have dry clothes and a roof over my head and four walls and a floor to keep the weather out.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to go outside and soak up some of the heat from the sun that is causing all the evaporation and precipitation.  I’m just sick of winter and clouds and snow snow snow.