Pre-Ramble:  We interrupt this blog entry to bring you a breaking weather alert … (just when you thought that nothing new could possibly happen in that random wacky world of meteorology… ) … 

Hailed as the first newly reported cloud formation in more than 50 years, the ominous-looking undulatus asperatus (Latin for turbulent undulation and not it at right) has been sighted in the Scottish Highlands.  Characterized by a droopy “rolling wavy effect,” the “atmospheric anomaly” is being considered for induction into the International Cloud Atlas.

I know!!  Gavin Pretor-Pinney, president of the UK-based Cloud Appreciation Society couldn’t be more pleased:

The formation has probably been around for a long time, but it’s only now getting attention … before the Internet and digicams, people might have mentioned it to a few friends and that would be it… Once the news got out, I was inundated with emails [and photos].”

Powerful, universal and unpredictable, the weather is probably the most frequently used conversation starter on the planet … “How ’bout that weather?? … Hot enough for ‘ya??” … It’s no wonder then, why the Weather Channel, founded 30 years ago by Frank Batten Sr., who passed away earlier this month at the age of 82, continues to be such a hit. Rob Long describes its appeal in the Wall Street Journal (9/18/09):

Despite a widely held belief in the television industry that a channel devoted entirely to the weather would not and could not work, [Batten Sr.] started one. He called it, with refreshing and diabolical directness, the Weather Channel. … It was a pretty instant sensation. People, it turns out, absolutely love the weather. … The Weather Channel delivers its information in the most tedious way possible — through static grids and blurry maps — but, for some reason, we keep watching. Its dryness is a big part of its appeal … just cold fronts and high-pressure areas … just the constant regular clockwork of a planet, raining and snowing and shining with indifference on us all … “

Weather is all around us — temperature, humidity, rainfall, prevailing wind, dew point, snow storms, and hail the size of name your round object here.  Weather is constant, and constantly changing. It literally provides a backdrop for our days and adventures, and for our lives.  Memorable moments are imprinted with the ”atmosphere” of the weather conditions at the time.

More than just a show – weather is a constant presence, a universally held experience, and a rich text for observation and metaphor.  Ralph Waldo was certainly on to something … the power to be mined in the quiet pondering of one’s environment — billowy wisps that drift above our heads on lazy afternoons or the sparkling sunlight on a small pond. Equally, if not more valuable for us in this hectic new millennium, is the awareness of the weather’s mighty presence on busy days.

The Take-Away:  Putting your head in the clouds can be a powerful strategy for living. Checking in with the mood, movement and context of weather systems can lift you out of your daily issues, help you get your bearings, put things in perspective, and inspire you to look at things in new ways. It is on this plane, this free, open and random space, that new, creative ideas and solutions can roll in.

Post Note: Based on a whimsical children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett, recently released animated movie, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” proves that the weather can inspire some pretty silly scenarios as well.

The general premise is that food falls benignly from the sky to feed the local townspeople (talk about the “five second rule”! … ).  Then the weather takes a turn for the worse — a sudden storm of giant pancakes (and downpour of maple syrup) that forces school closings, a salt and pepper wind (think of the sneezing), a tomato tornado (“seeds and pulp everywhere“), and of course, the headliner shower of meatballs — causing a whole bunch of problems. … Cute, … fun, … can’t wait to see the movie.  Excuse me while I head out to Perkins for a quick short stack.

Pre-Ramble:  When we lived in Arizona, “snow bird” was a demographic. Every year in late November, people from all parts North would migrate into town. Seriously, the population would double – every road, resort and restaurant clogged with leisurely-driving, turquoise-wearing, Early-Bird-Special-eating tourists.  

And the thing was, we weren’t on vacation. We were just trying to live our lives … going to the grocery store to find food, … going to the bank to cash a check, … going to the park to scald ourselves on the play equipment, … or going to the mall to get out of the ”dry heat.”  And let me remind you that pizza ovens are dry heat. 

Anyway, here it is, March 31st in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and there are gigantic clusters of snowflakes falling outside (not them above). It’s just rude. The indignant expression on the beak of the tufted titmouse (photograph by Allison Trentelman) says it all. We have totally been duped. All of that chirping, melting and sunshiney-ness going on last week was just a cruel scam. In light of this development, I must concede that my recent blog announcing the arrival of spring may have been premature.

The Take-Away: Consider this a retraction on my previous proclamation of spring until such time as there are some more concrete indicators — a green blade of grass; a flower sticking up through the frozen crust of leaves; quacking sounds from the pond across the street; squirrels. In the meantime, to take your mind off the disobedient weather, visit more of Allison’s beautiful photography at her online shop and blog.

Pre-Ramble:  According to my MSNBC homepage, the East Coast is “bracing for a potent March snow storm,” and “a rare snow blanketed the South, prompting over 200 churches in the central part of the Bible Belt to cancel morning services.”  As I look out over our freshly shoveled driveway, I am given pause to consider the relative aspects of these reports. This kind of challenging weather is an everyday occurence here in Minnesota… In fact, the Twin Cities just bounced back from a doozy of a storm that introduced eight inches of  the fresh white fluffy stuff into the evening commute. No big deal. We can handle it. True Minnesotans actually get crabby if a winter season doesn’t have its share of noteworthy weather. Our poor kids never get a snow day.

One thing I’ve noticed is that weather reports definitely have their share of blowing and drifting verbiage … not unlike news reports that throw around unnecessarily inflammatory words to describe current economic conditions (a topic I have discussed in a couple of recent blogs; 2/17 and 2/4).

By the way: A few more additions to the ongoing list of Unnecessarily Inflammatory Words… hobbled, soured, trepidation, turmoil, pervasive, pernicious, faltering, rescue, negative, contenders, beleaguered, buffeted, Buffetted*(* I just made that one up), brink, failure, hit (as in “take a major”), difficult, uncharted, teeter, free-fall, and the week’s top characterization expressed by Christina Romer, chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisors, “Obama administration officials have been watching ‘in horror’ what’s been going on around the world.”

Apparently, major economic indexes have tumbled to their lowest levels in twelve years and for the sixth straight month, the Dow Jones industrial average has fallen — and is now teetering — at less than half of its all-time record worth of 14,165. That’s gotta be bad news – unless you’re on a playground, teetering is never good.

The Take-Away: Sure, the economic climate is looking a little rough. It’s probably going to take a while to dig out from this one. But, like a big snow storm, it doesn’t really do any good to panic. Heck — we’re tough — we don’t need no stinkin’ snow days!  Buckle down, bundle up, and look on the bright side – the economy might not be warming up as quickly as we might have hoped, but there’s still a good chance that we could get another few nasty weather events before the fishing opener!