So I’ve never cared much for the talking bobbleheads on the news, mostly because I don’t like someone else’s take on what I should think. But I am a steadfast viewer of…the weather. (I’m also a fan of meteorologists, because I think they’re the weirdest “normal” people that are still allowed on TV nightly.)

And while I’ll acquiesce that there’s nothing that I can actually do about said reported weather, somehow it helps me to know that it’s coming. Aside from the obvious answer to, “do I need to water the garden today?” I think it’s also a feeling of having some semblance of control. As in, “oh yes, it was supposed to rain this afternoon. And it is! My whole world is occurring right on cue.”

It might also be the vestigial remnants of living in Houston for decades and having to constantly keep a weather eye on the Gulf for the next Rita/Ike/Harvey/etc.

Because I felt like I had to be ever vigilant about getting my family to safety, hurricane season was a constant background stressor while living down there. After all, getting out of the way of a storm is easier said than done.

I remember it was so hot that people died on that freeway that day. At one point a bus, filled with the elderly who were evacuating their retirement home, exploded. I mean, how horrific is that? And given all the predictions for how busy the hurricane season will be this year, I’m quite glad I live way up here.

But! That’s not what I’m here to talk about. I mention all this because of what our weather is looking like this weekend up here in Vermont…
Unfortunately, it appears we’re looking at thundershowers over the next several days which throws a rather large spanner into our plans to camp this weekend.

Now I realize many of you seasoned outdoorsy types are rolling your eyes at this. Curtailing a camping trip that we’ve had planned since January over a few inches of rain?

But this would be our very first campout. And as such I’d rather Daphne and Jen don’t have a rough go of it. I mean, it would be one thing if it were just going to rain for a day while we were there, but the forecast has the weekend pretty much bookended.

Which would cause wet and mucky ground at the campsite, not to mention thunderstorms & lightning (very, very, frightening) means swimming would be an unwise endeavor. And that was essentially the point of the entire trip, so Daphne could swim in the lake all day long…

And so, at least at the time of this writing, it’s looking like we’re going to be in the market for something else to do this weekend.

j.s.