Yucky winter weather ahead
I'm not a meteorologist, but I can nearly guarantee that the remainder of fall 2003 and the winter of 2003 is going to be yucky.
I have no doubt we'll see untold amounts of rain, drizzle, fog, sleet, snow, blizzards, tsunamis, or whatever other nasty mixtures Mother Nature can dish up.
How do I know this? Just for the simple reason that I'll be driving 100 miles a day until about February. And since I hate to drive in bad weather that's a pretty good sign the atmosphere is going to be uncooperative.
Right now, my family lives in Abilene and we hope to move to Marion early next year.
But until then — unless my vehicle blows up — I'll be driving. That fact alone is better than any weatherman's accu-weather forecast in predicting this winter will be the worst we've had in years.
Not that I'm a pessimist, mind you. I've just learned to expect that if anything can go wrong, it will. My life exemplifies Murphy's Law.
For example, the recent foggy, rainy weather arrived just as I was beginning my second week of commuting. I left Abilene on a bright, sunshiny Monday morning (Oct. 21) and by the time I was 15 miles south of town, a deep, dank fog enveloped my van. It surrounded me all the way to Marion and hung around until mid-morning for good measure.
It rained the next day and the next day and, well, you get the picture. But naturally, the sun came out and shone gloriously Saturday and part of Sunday before drizzle reappeared on and off Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Actually, it didn't drizzle or rain Friday. It snowed. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. It flurried.
I'm probably not the only one out there who has this talent. If there are others who have this ability, perhaps we should all start commuting to western Kansas where they really need the moisture. But for now, does anyone know where I can get a discount rate on wiper blades?
I don't know about everyone else, but I am glad the campaigning is finally over. Personally, I find negative attack campaign ads very unappealing. It always makes me want to vote for the other guy (or gal) until I see or hear a similar ad slamming the other back. Last week I read a study that showed negative advertising does not work. So why do political campaigns continue to use them?
As for the positive, I sat in and listened to a couple cases during Youth Court Oct. 30 at the Marion County Courthouse. Not a "mock trial," Youth Court involves actual cases where teens have been charged with various misdemeanors. It's the real thing except that teens — instead of adults — fill most of the roles: prosecutor, defense counsel, jury, and of course, defendant. When someone goes to Youth Court and is judged by a "jury of his or her peers" that is certainly the case. It was a fascinating process to watch.
— KATHY HAGEMAN
