Everybody knows that trees shouldn’t be planted too close to a house. When a particularly vicious storm roared through our area this summer, the wind took down a gigantic oak tree that was in the woods behind our house.
The good news is that the gigantic oak tree fell away from the house. Even though the tree was in the woods, the root ball was so large that it took our chain link fence with it! An interesting fact is that people who lived in the county south of us didn’t know anything about our severe storm, so I’m positive you didn’t either.
We lived in New Mexico for a number of years where everybody knows about dust storms and tumbleweeds, but I didn’t know about the severe dust storms that plagued Arizona until part of our family moved there a few years ago.
Our oak tree and the dust storms in Arizona reminded me that there are things that only “the locals” know, especially when it comes to weather. I know about hurricanes because we lived in Florida and tornados because we lived in Texas. I also know about blizzards because we lived in Minnesota, but I’m hoping I don’t ever have a blizzard in any of the books I write because I’d get too cold. I have a very active imagination, but you knew that!
My latest novel takes place in Arizona, and my main character is from Georgia, so I knew she wouldn’t know about a ‘haboob,’ which is a word frequently used for the miles long, towering Arizona dust storms with sand and debris. Thank goodness one of the locals told her, or it would have been my shortest novel ever!
What is it that “everybody knows” where you live that a newcomer wouldn’t know? I’m always looking for a weather story I can use in a book!
Interested in reading a book that takes place in Arizona?
Wren’s new writing assignment, a haunted campground in Arizona, is perfect except for the killer who wants her dead.
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Perfect story and I have seen many haboobs. No weather stories other than “steamy” in Virginia as you know. Love you SIL
I was completely ignorant of haboobs. We’re you ever caught in one?
Do you get any ocean breeze in VA?
💕 Back atcha.
Great to hear from you!
SIL ❤️
“Everybody knows” Texas gets hot in the summer, but they don’t know how hot until:
You see a baking sheet on a dashboard with a dozen perfectly baked cookies on it. ( This is why it’s such a tragedy to leave a child or animal in a parked car.)
You hang out three lines of laundry and immediately go to the beginning of the first line and start folding dry clothes into your basket. (I actually did this.)
Someone takes a completely risen and deeply browned loaf of bread from her mailbox.
Yes, we really do look forward to the September cool fronts.
All three are useful in a prolonged power outage.
Those are perfect descriptions of Texas in the summertime! Where are you? We lived in west Texas and south of Dallas. The Dallas area was hot🔥 and steamy! No desert night cooldowns or breeze from the Gulf.
Judith
Don’t know a “name” but when my Husband was in the Air Force stationed at Limestone, Maine (very Northern Maine), for the 4 years we were there it snowed a LOT! One year we could see nothing but the 2nd floor windows of the housing across the street from us. And, being on a base with airplanes, salt could not be used to clear the streets (damage plane engines) so it was cinders and snowplows that made sparks on the streets when they ran. DON’T CARE IF I EVER SEE SNOW AGAIN (and it’s been more than 50 years ago)
First year we were there it snowed on Memorial Day!!!
Wow! I just can’t imagine that much snow!