Dust in the Wind & Other Weather-Related Fun

When we were looking for houses in Wichita, our realtor told us that some people buy property on the east side of town so they don't have to stare into the sun while driving to and from work.

"Wow. That seems extreme," I remember saying.

But after being blinded twice a day by the red-hot inferno in the sky, I imagine Nick is rethinking our decision to buy in the west. I need to get him a pair of those sunglasses like Riddick wears. Seems like the humane thing to do.

It burns us, Precious.

It's Always Sunny in Wichita 

No joke. Wichita actually averages more days of sunshine than Florida. We enjoy 225 days of sun each year, which makes it difficult for a hermit like myself to hide out, using rain as an excuse for my inactivity. (I guess that's why people here are so fit and tan, while I'm so pasty and rotund. Maybe our next stop should be Seattle.)

Given that it's usually sunny and the wind blows constantly, it's sort of like being at the beach. Unfortunately, the beaches of Wichita look a lot like this (and you have to watch out for tarantulas and apparently scorpions):

Cowskin Creek in Wichita

I didn't anticipate the wind being so constant, but it's always there, blowing from the south, usually between 10 and 20 miles per hour. One thing I haven't figured out is how the TV weather guy determines the difference between a "windy" day and a 'breezy" day. He makes a clear distinction between the two descriptions in his forecasts, but it seems rather arbitrary instead of based in actual science.

Breezy. Windy. Whatever you call it, it makes fixing your hair an exercise in futility. At least now I've got a reason other than sheer laziness for my hair to be in a ponytail.

Greetings from tornado alley

And I would be remiss if I wrote about Wichita's weather and didn't mention the tornadoes and hail that frequent the area in the spring. During our house hunt, our native Wichitan realtor told me not to be scared of tornadoes, just be smart and respect the weather. Seemed like sound advice.

"You'll learn how things look on the radar and that will let you know when you need to be concerned," she informs me.

"Ok, that's helpful. So how exactly will the radar look when I need to duck and cover?"

"Oh, you'll know," she says.

Nope, don't think I will. Fortunately, you can't miss the tornado sirens. They were tested yesterday and the sound came in loud and clear, even in my basement. I know. I checked.

The sky before a run-of-the-mill October thunderstorm in Wichita.
I don't even want to think about how the sky looks before a tornado.

Speaking of tornado preparation, a lot of the stores here have storm shelters, a fact that's as distressing

as it is reassuring. The shelter in my grocery is near the meat department. At my Target, it's the

I snapped this at Bed Bath & Beyond. In the event
of a tornado, consider me employed.

bathrooms at the front of the store. I'm making a mental list of places I frequent. You know - just in case.