Just Wait

I've lived a lot of places in my life, from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska to the colonial capital of Antigua in the Guatemalan highlands, and many places in between. And one thing has been a constant--everywhere I've lived, at least one person and usually many people have said to me "around here, if you don't like the weather, just wait ten mintues." Then they usually laugh at their own clever insight and stare at you in a way that says "know-whut-I-mean?"

You actually hear that expression a lot less in Reno than in other places, because the climate here is fairly predictable. But that doesn't mean it isn't frustrating at times. One of the tough parts about living at over 4000 feet on the east side of the Sierra is that winter is never far away. High temperatures in May are usually in the 70's, but ultimately there's nothing particularly remarkable about a day like yesterday, when a weather system blows in over the mountains and brings us clouds and wind and very cold temperatures. Yesterday I was driving through Dayton on the way back from the farm and it started snowing. Absolutely no one seemed surprised by this. Squaw Valley (which is still open for skiing through tomorrow) actually got five new inches of snow.

When this happens, there are always a few people who shake their heads and say something like "what's with this weather? It's crazy!" No, it's Northern Nevada. Today the sun is out and the skies are blue and by tomorrow the temperatures will be back up in the 70's, which is normal for this time of year. But it could snow again next month, or in July, or in August. That's just part of the deal here in God's Country.