The Promise of September

/ Richard R. Barron
Driving to work one morning in February my dashboard read 0 degrees. That same morning Nowata, Oklahoma set an all-time record low for the state of -31.
Driving to work one morning in February my dashboard read 0 degrees. That same morning Nowata, Oklahoma set an all-time record low for the state of -31.

Welcome to Autumn 2011. It’s been a stunning year so far, both socially and weatherally. Weatherically? Climatologically! (Spell check says the last one is right.)

2011 is the year Abby and I became grandparents. Also this winter we had record-setting cold and snow. In April, Robert and I went to Utah for a hiking trip. This summer I taught at the college in addition to teaching at the vo-tech. Summer also choked us with record heat and drought.

This morning it was 48 degrees outside. Relief. Here, then, comes the promise of September.

Just five months after record low temperatures in Oklahoma froze the water heater in our RV, my dashboard thermometer read 113 degrees coming home from work.
Just five months after record low temperatures in Oklahoma froze the water heater in our RV, my dashboard thermometer read 113 degrees coming home from work.