If nothing else, these first seven months at my new job have taught me that I need to dress for work the exact opposite of what the season calls for.
All winter long, I roasted in my office. Even with the ceiling vent closed, heat would still seep in and slowly roast me. I came home one December evening sporting a tan and Tara gave me some serious side-eye.
OK, slight exaggeration. But I did take to wearing short-sleeved shirts and cracking my window open when it was 15° outside, snow was falling, and the wind was howling.
I was dreading an even hotter summer at work, but instead, I’m confronted with the exact opposite. Once the weather outside warmed up and they switched the thermostat from HEAT to A/C, I’ve been freezing my ass off. Now my office feels like the damn North Pole. So, today I brought in a nice, thick flannel shirt. The air-conditioning cycles on and off randomly; when it’s not running, my office is the perfect temp. But then it kicks on and my thoughts turn to steaming mugs of hot cocoa in front of a blazing hearth. The only logical solution is to put the flannel on whenever the A/C kicks on and take it off when it stops.
At least I’m not tied to my chair all day long, huh?
My parents arrived for a weeklong visit on Tuesday afternoon. They were greeted with 98° sunshine.
“Feels like my office around Thanksgiving!” I said.
You might recall that they’d planned a trip out here in April but ended up cancelling their plans when the forecast called for a little cold and snow. And yes, we got a few inches one of the days they would have been there, but in April the snow doesn’t stick around long. I think their visit would have been perfectly fine.
Instead, they’re here in the midst of a near-record-breaking heatwave. Interspersed with an on-again/off-again threat of severe weather, because this is South Dakota, after all.
Tuesday serves as a perfect example. We’d been sitting on the patio out back, sipping wine and catching up despite the heat. There was nary a cloud in the sky, so nobody believed me when I mentioned that it was going to storm shortly.
“It’s perfectly clear!” my mom said.
“Just you wait,” I replied.
Midway through dinner, we got a weather alert. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning had been issued for Rapid City. Sure enough, the clouds piled up in the west and darkened ominously. By 8:00 it was clear we were in for a wild ride.
The next few hours brought all kinds of thunder, lightning, wind, rain, and hail. It was quite the storm! I would have been skeptical myself given the sky conditions just two hours earlier, but I’ve lived here long enough to know how quickly the weather can — and does — change. It happens all the time.
Today was hot again but perfectly benign. Thursday, they’re forecasting another round of evening storms, and these have the potential to be even worse. I’m not planning any outdoor activities after work, that’s for sure.
Tonight, however, we’re headed to Sabatino’s, our favorite downtown Italian eatery. We’ve been dying to take them there.
Not going to lie: I’ve been daydreaming about Papperadelle Boscaiola all day long.
Mark My Words 
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