Hurricane Linnea

You don't think about the weather.

At least, I never did much. Medford, Oregon is not the prettiest town. It grew too fast, allowing ugly subdivisions to start multiplying on the edges of town while still supplying its residents with the agricultural equipment they needed and the cars they wanted. Yep, we're a gross car lot town. Of course, it's not the car lots and tractor stores I miss when I'm away. It's the hills of the valley, the orchards, the river and the weather.

It is never humid in Medford. It is never dry. It is always just the right humidity percentage. If it's humid, it will rain almost immediately and will soon be forgotten. Summers reach 100 F degrees and more, but if it's not too dry or too humid, your biggest problem is deciding which body of water to jump in first. Lakes and rivers abound, and the ocean is just a 2 hour drive away through the Redwoods. You don't have to worry about mosquitoes much here.

Spring's not too boggy. Fall's not too cold or muddy. And both creep slowly unto the preceding season so it's never a surprise, just a gradual shift.

In the winter, it snows rarely and rains just enough. Medford has the highest highs in temperature, and some low lows, but it is temperate and gradual. I never understood what people really meant by a bitter winter until I arrived in Beijing on the first day of snow. It was dry. It was windy. It was so cold, I wore long underwear, two pairs of socks, mittens, 2 shirts, a fleece lined rain and wind proof coat, and a scarf around my face so my nose wouldn't get frost bite. I was still cold.

When I arrived in Chengdu, I thought I knew what humid was after experienceing Beijing's summer. No. It's the perfect concentration of humidity to breed the biggest mosquitoes I've ever seen. Both places have nonstop cicadas going day and night. Medford is blissfully quiet except for the occasional cricket and nights here are cool and breezy.

Right now, I'm trying to decide what to pack with me when I go back to Chengdu. There's no central air conditioning or heating there. I need clothes for humidity that soaks your clothes and sheets and EVERYTHING in your apartment, not to mention once you get outside. I need clothes for cold, cooold winter in cement buildings without real heaters. For winters where everyone is using their electric heaters so much, the city schedules black out periods do conserve energy.
I'm knitting scarves for myself and the Blonde Man currently. I have gloves for him and plans for mittens for me. I have my sweaters out. I heard someone who lives there where's two scarves at a time. Someone want to knit me a hat?