Worrying about the weather

Today, there is a warming trend; likely the outdoor temperature will rise to 40 F. With that rise, the snow will melt and our foot of on-the-ground snow cover will diminish significantly. Tomorrow, the temperature is to rise to the 50's. What the heat wave means is that the slush on the roads will melt and run off to the creeks and streams, the sidewalks will become more passable, fewer ice spots, and the deer will retreat back into the forest and leave our hosta and other plants alone.

But to really get away from the overcast skies, the heavy cold of moisture ladened air, one has to travel to where it is sunny and warm, and, for us, this means heading "down under." We are excited about this trip, seeing sites not seen before, traveling with Leah and actually speaking to her while she is fully awake as opposed to calling her in the middle of her night.

 Kathy is asking the appropriate questions: "what are we going to wear?" We read travel guides about the average monthly high temperature where we are going. As we travel the South Island of New Zealand, the highs in January and February are in the lower 6o's. If these are the highs, what will be the lows? A light covering to wear may not be enough.

 

As you may know, inspite of many articles on global warming and increasing CO2 levels (a "greenhouse gas") since 2001, the actual measured temperature of the earth has not changed. The continued increase in CO2 has not resulted in an increase in temperature. Could the earth's heating model of greenhouse gas accumulation be wrong? Who knows. What about the melting Artic ice, the loss of habitat for polar bears? Is that not a reflection of global warming? What has been observed as melting Artic ice in the North Pole, has been counter balanced by a decline in temperatures in Antartica. That is, there is glacieral ice accumulation in the South Pole. The measured temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere are lower than average. Check out the latest temperatures in Christchurch New Zealand.

You get my drift. If the "average high temperature readings" are too optimistic, that means when we travel to the South Island of New Zealand, across the lower South Pacific Ocean to Tasmania, will we be shivering, huddled under our blankets in our cabins? The roof to the main shipboard pool may be closed and people would be crowding the "hot tub" as at a winter ski resort. Maybe, for a portion of our trip, we will be wearing the sweaters and caps we wear here in Michigan, especially when we do onshore excursions.

 

This all brings up the issue of what does one pack for a trip like this. How many suitcases? How much money to  exchange to buy warmer clothing?

These are the momentous questions facing the two of us, besides the season long question of the how the backcourt guards and the front court "bigs" play for the MSU Spartan basketball team.