sunny with a chance of a late-day shower

We mark our age in so many ways. Our skirts get a touch longer. We drive a little slower. Maybe we swear a little less than we used to. And our age marks us in so many other ways. Our crow’s feet get a little deeper. Our glasses become a hair thicker. And in my case, well, I start checking the weather.

I used to shamelessly mock my grandfather for asking about the weather every time we spoke. I used to laugh with my friend Damon about his father’s slightly unhealthy obsession with the forecast in places where he wasn’t. All this asking after the clouds seemed hopeless—painfully—old.

But that was before. Now you might say that I’m a weather fanatic. I turn on the radio right when I wake up so that I can catch the 6:40 weather report. I sign on to weather.com when I get to the office. I’m especially partial to long-range forecasts. I like thinking 10 days out, and I like knowing that it might just rain a week from Wednesday. I might as well have a HAM radio and a doppler feed at my bedside.

I can’t say that I get it. I don’t know where it’s come from, but I find myself asking after the weather when I get an old pal on the phone: “so how’s it lookin’ in Omaha?” I might ask. As the words tumble out, I kinda giggle at myself and I kinda just want to know about the weather.

I don’t know if I’m becoming a simpleton or what. Without a “rain plan” for the wedding, I do know that I’m a bit obsessed with the chance for rain in 49686 in 22 days. I’ll be keeping an eye on my storm tracker. You should keep your fingers crossed.