May 10, 2023 3 min read

I love clever sayings and funny sayings created by clever people. Singer Joe Walsh used the lyric, “I can’t complain but sometimes I still do,” in one of his songs. I think of that often and believe that behavior to be true about myself and most people. Poet John Lydgate wrote another phrase I like, which was later adapted by President Lincoln: “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Never were truer words spoken when it comes to the weather.

I’m not complaining, mind you. Just observing. When I run into viewers who watch me do the weather on television, they often want to discuss the weather. Even when strangers don’t know that I am a meteorologist, small talk often turns to the weather, and I find that a lot of people just like to complain about the weather. Maybe it’s just a matter of whether you are a “glass half empty” or “glass half full” kind of person (I’m a glass half full person myself), but complaining about the weather just comes naturally to a lot of folks.

For example, we experienced a mild winter this past year, and that seems to have polarized people. While some were enjoying the fact that we didn’t have to shiver or shovel snow, I actually saw a lot of comments on social media lamenting the warm winter. Some were wringing their hands worrying that the hot temperatures in February foretold of a long, hot summer. As a skier, I missed the snow more than anyone but didn’t miss driving in ice and snow at all and didn’t touch my snow shovel all season.

Spring came and we enjoyed mild weather until the start of May. This month arrived with a blast of cold temperatures and even snow showers in spots – unusual around here for sure, but not unheard of by any stretch of the imagination. People complained some more. Where’s spring? Why is it so cold so late?

This week, we’re bouncing back to normal to slightly warmer than normal May temperatures in the 70s and can look forward to a few days of sunshine. Will that calm the weather complainers? What will they find wrong with the forecast this week? I already anticipate a round of griping when I announce the chance for showers on Mother’s Day (cue the groans), but gardeners should be happy that the chance for frost seems to have passed right on cue (our average last frost date each year is Mother’s Day).

So go ahead and plant those petunias, fire up that grill and dust off those golf clubs (that’s what I’ll be doing this week). The weather is fine … but I’m sure it won’t please all of the people all of the time!

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.