Nice weather?

I haven’t talked much about the weather here lately, but today is the kind of day that I feel like I need to.  The reason for this compelling desire is that it’s actually nice outside.  It’s not sweltering hot to where your body armor absorbs the radiant heat and slowly cooks you to death and it’s not windy-rainy-cold either.  It’s actually quite pleasant, which is surprisingly new to me since my normal MO is just to complain about the weather.  

 

When we first arrived here back in April of 2007 (wow, has it been that long?), we got off the armored transports and stepped into 110 degree temps with unyielding sunlight blasting us from above.  It sucked then, but the lieutenant colonel in charge of the section at the time told me to remember what it felt like at that moment as I stood there baking in my own juices.  He said that as the weather would change from hotter (could it get any hotter?) and then cooler (is that possible?).  He said that I might not believe him, but in the not so far future I would think back to that moment and how the weather felt and be happy for it would be the signal that it was time to return home.  Frankly I thought he was suffering from a heat stroke as I couldn't imagine myself ever looking forward to 110 degrees...ever!  However, as the days get longer, the weather gets warmer and the countdown gets closer to zero, there might be some sense in what he said and I might have to change my assessment of that lieutenant colonel. 

 

So, as I enjoy the sunny weather today (sans sweat), I will look forward to the blistering heat in the months to come.  

 

Come on heat stroke!