On a more personal note...

I just finished another invigorating jog out on the trails and felt compelled to write a few words about the wonderful climate we enjoy here in Albuquerque. How many places are there to live where you rarely experience weather extremes? I have lived all over the country and can attest to having experienced some pretty wild and/or uncomfortable weather; i.e. hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, 100+ degrees and -40+ below zero. It's not to say we don't have an occasional wind, rain or hail storm or a day or two of temps over 100, but when this occurs it comes and goes quickly and rarely affects our daily lives.

Growing up I can remember walking to school in Montana in knee-deep snow and below zero temps with the wind howling and swirling around me. I can also remember those stifling hot, humid days in Upstate New York where it took every ounce of energy we had to get through the day and try to sleep at night. Then winter came along and buried us in snow...sometimes up to 4 or 5 feet! Ah yes, the winter of 1966 in Cortland, NY when we could not leave the house for an entire week. My dad managed to dig a tunnel to the street where we could fortunately connect to another tunnel leading to a small neighborhood grocery store for milk, bread, etc.

As I am writing this, it's being reported on the news that the Mid-West can expect an outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes; large hair, damaging winds, and flash flooding are possible. South of this active weather, temperatures will rise across the South with heat index values rising into the 100 to 110 degree range. So the next time you step outdoors, appreciate our wonderful mild climate, even when the breezes kick up and there's a little dust in the air.