The State of the Sky

Often times we don’t pay much attention to the weather. If we do, we pay attention to the state of the sky in our general vicinity and don’t think about anyone else’s sky, be they several states or several cities away.


I’m not one of those people who watch the weather channel constantly, so when I go on a trip I pack clothing that will work with the season. June in Nebraska demands shorts, maybe a pair of jeans, no long sleeved shirts, and no jacket. Some days, it doesn’t matter what kind of clothing you wear (or don’t wear), you’re going to feel like you’re about to melt into the ground.


Recently one of my friends was complaining in her facebook status about the apparent heat wave we’ve been having in Colorado: “So... hot...” she moaned. “It wouldn’t be so bad if there was a breeze,” commented another friend, “but it’s just stifling.” I read these comments upon returning from Nebraska, where we had stepped out of our car in Ogallala to refuel. “You weren’t in Nebraska yesterday,” I commented, which completely failed to convey my contempt. I’m not sure how hot it was that day, but there was a brisk wind blowing which did not aid the disgusting state of the outdoors. I’d almost rather there hadn’t been any wind; it almost made it worse.


Nebraska is terribly humid, on top of the fact that its summers tend to be terribly hot. I never knew how repulsive they were until I traveled to New Mexico once for the weekend. It was certainly warm there, but the weather was very comfortable all weekend. The eastbound Amtrak train gets in to Lincoln, Nebraska every morning at around 4 AM, and when I stepped off the train that morning, it was like walking through a side door into a swimming pool. I regarded the train behind me, and would have gotten back on, except that it wasn’t going back the way I had come.

It was certainly warm when we got back from our visit to Nebraska this last weekend, but compared to the weather we had come from, it was a delight.


As much as I might miss my home, the places and people that are there, I definitely don’t miss the weather. Today’s weather in Boulder is overcast, with a light breeze. I’ve got the windows open and the air conditiner off. I am perfectly content to be ignorant of what the weather’s like in Nebraska, or in Aurora or in Sterling; except I may be a bit sad for their residents that their sky today isn’t as pleasant as mine.