Monsoon Weather Forecast / Farewell to the 2008-09 School Year
Hello out there in weather-land...
Sorry I’ve been incommunicado for some time – it’s the end of a long, long, long-assed school year and I just didn’t have the mojo.
But as I limp toward the finish line and gear up for summer, I can feel the mojo creeping back. Coming attractions over the summer for the Monsoon weblog: my “desert island discs,” reviews, more on The Bunk (who has been sick, but is recovering nicely), the return of the WeatherTable, and much, much more!
And so, I present the final weather forecast of the 2008-09 school year...
Thursday 6/4: Rain tapers throughout the morning following the heavy downpours we saw overnight. Expect occasional showers to develop toward evening, with another round of heavy downpours overnight into Friday. High 66, low 55.
Friday 6/5: Rainy, again, for much of the day. Breezy. Precipitation tapers to showers in the evening, but skies will remain cloudy. High 64, low 52.
Saturday 6/6: Partly cloudy, a bit warmer and quite pleasant. High 77, low 53.
Sunday 6/7: Partly cloudy and warmer, with increasing clouds late. High 82, low 60.
Monday 6/8: Clouds mixed with sun; a shower or thunderstorm possible late. High 84, low 63.
Tuesday 6/9: Cloudy and breezy with a shower or strong thunderstorm possible later in the day or in the evening. High 82, low 64.
Wednesday 6/10: Warm and humid with highs in the mid 80s; a few showers or thunderstorms are likely late. Low in the mid 60s.
Thursday 6/11: Partly sunny and less humid; breezy and much more pleasant. High in the low 70s, low in the mid 50s.
Friday 6/12: Sunny and clear. High in the low to mid 70s, low in the mid to upper 50s.
Next weekend: Overcast with rain possible on Saturday; highs in the mid 70s and lows in the upper 50s.
Beyond: Warming up considerably the following week, possibly getting into the 90s around the 17th or 18th.
Have a great summer!
The Bunk, Shorn. Bandana = Insult to Injury.
Jon, from The Total Dog and a Little Cat, called at 3pm.They had tried to save Bunk’s lush, shaggy coat—his trademark, the feature that puts the unk in Bunk—but the mats were too inscrutable, the tangles too numerous.Despite our religious brushing regimen, which has been chronicled here, Bunk’s hair was determined to kink, knot and snarl itself into jungly oblivion.And so, though he’d only been scheduled for a sorely-needed bath and a bit of maintenance grooming while at doggy day care, Bunk needed to be closely cropped.I was to pick him up in the evening.
And I did.
It’s not that Jon bungled the cut; on the contrary, he does lovely work.It’s just that when Bunk came out from behind the counter, he looked as though he’d been through some sort of cartoon wringer where Tom comes out stick-thin (but perfectly unharmed) on the other side.He nearly knocked me over with his customary jubilant leap of greeting, so I knew it was him, but I couldn’t shake the sense that someone had stolen half of my dog.
All I could do was gape, and chuckle in disbelief, and shake my head.Actually, I shouldn’t use past tense there; still gawping, still chortling, still waving the noggin to and fro with incredulity from time to time.He’s spindly now, and he almost looks like a...
a...
a poodle.(shudder)
Until his luscious locks grow back—and I’ve been assured, they will grow back, to our desired length—no one will mistake him for goldendoodle or a labradoodle or any other kind of doodle.(He’s still our Bunk-a-doodle, though.Always our boy.)
But truly there are no words for the change that has occurred in Bunk’s appearance. Only photographic evidence can really do it justice.And so...
The Bunk in All His Hirsute, Unshorn Glory, Near End of April
The Bunk, on Same Couch, Pruned Clean of Six Yaks' Worth of Hair
The Bunk, Shorn. Bandana = Insult to Injury
The Bunk, Mown to the Nubs Like a Midsummer Lawn; Furry Arms Do Remind Me of Grover, So There's That
I fear that Bunk's powers were in his flowing locks—like Samson, or Fabio—and hereafter he’ll just be an ordinary dog. But when his hair grows back, the majesty of The Bunk will rise again...
Monsoon's How Hot Will It Get / Bunk-a-bration
How hot will it get? No, that’s not the title of the newest jam by Thugg Mugg featuring Flexx Nutz and Neecie Flambé. It’s a reference to the near-record temperatures, 20 degrees or more above the seasonal average high (the low to mid 60s), that await us this weekend.
But first, allow me to celebrate: Friday is the eight-month anniversary of The Bunk’s birth, and he’s still a delight. He is fully healed from his surgery and seems to be coping well with his no-nad-hood.
Some personality (caninality? clumsy as that sounds, I think it’s actually a word) quirks continue to emerge: he is an inveterate finger- and toe-licker, for reasons that even he would be at a loss to explain; he prefers to sleep whilst jammed up against a door, preferably lying on his back with his extremities in the air; one of his favorite pastimes is to splash around with his paws in a shallow receptacle—like a water bowl, for example; he has a weakness for toilet paper sur la rouleau (on the roll); he likes being brushed, but things take a sour turn when someone tries to brush, however delicately, in the area of his nethers—then he emits a reedy lamentation (which is unfailingly hilarious) and tries to bite the brush, and the brusher. In short, we love him.
So here are some recent pictures of The Bunk for your enjoyment.
The Bunk on The Couch
The Bunk Examines Backyard; Gets Scritch from Monsoon
The Bunk Slumbers in Splayed Contentment
Now, on to the weather.Let’s look first at the next five days or so...
Friday 4/24: Mostly sunny and warmer with mild southwest breezes.High 77, low 49.
Saturday 4/25: Plenty of sunshine, breezy and still warmer.The temperature should easily eclipse the record of 84, set in 2001.High 87, low 56.
Sunday 4/26: Sunny, clear and very warm.The temperature could challenge the record of 91 set in 1990. High 90, low 58.
Monday 4/27: Partly cloudy and continued very warm.We could again challenge a record: 92, set almost a century ago in 1915.High 89, low 56.
Tuesday 4/28: Partly cloudy and still warm, but not quite as balmy; increasing clouds and humidity.High 82, low 56.
The second half of next week is looking grey and wet (no, that’s not Rue McClanahan’s memoir of struggling to maintain her libido into her 70s, it’s just a description of the weather) with highs in the upper 60s, lows in the upper 40s, and rain possible on Wednesday and Thursday.
Next weekend, as we limp into May, we’re looking at conditions a bit below normal with highs in the 50s on Saturday 5/2 and the mid to upper 60s on Sunday 5/3, with cloud cover and rain possible on Sunday.
The first full week of May (Monday the 4th through Friday the 8th) is looking seasonably pleasant and right about average, with highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s to low 50s.The next really good chance of rain comes in around that next weekend, the 9th and 10th.
Monsoon's April Vicissitudes Weather Forecast for Thursday, 16 April 2009
It’s typical April weather: rainy and cool for a few days, then we’re going to have gorgeous weather for the weekend, and then we’re back down to the rainy coolness for the beginning of next week. Temperatures dipped below freezing last night (and may again tonight) giving us an unwelcome bit of frost on our windshields, followed during the commute by fog, and finally by sun-blindness. Totally fun!
Here’s the forecast for the coming couple of weeks, nosing into the beginning of May. Enjoy!
Friday, 4/17: clear and beautiful with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Rather breezy. High 72, low 41.
Saturday, 4/18: partly cloudy, breezy and warm. High 76, low 45.
Sunday, 4/19: partly to mostly cloudy and cooler with some light breezes. Light showers are possible throughout the day, but don’t expect a washout. High 60, low 42.
Monday, 4/20: mostly cloudy, quite windy and colder with rain possible—including some steadier pockets of precipitation—particularly in the afternoon and evening. High 49, low 38.
Tuesday, 4/21: mostly cloudy and cool with a few showers possible, mostly light; clearing late. High 53, low 43.
Wednesday, 4/22: clearing and milder with breezy conditions. High 61, low 46.
Thursday, 4/23: sunny, clear, and seasonably magnificent. High 65, low 51.
Friday, 4/24: continued sunny and clear. High 68, low 55.
Next weekend: partly cloudy and nice on Saturday with a high in the mid 60s, then clouding up at night ahead of some Sunday rain, when highs will reach into the low 70s.
The following week: we’ll be near seasonal averages for much of the week, with highs in the mid 60s and lows in the mid 40s. Getting warmer (and actually more humid) toward week’s end ahead of some major moisture.
Beyond: it looks like we’ll begin May with a blast into the 80s (!) before moderating back toward seasonal averages. Stay tuned for updates!
Monsoon's Weather / Bunk Update for Sunday, 5 April 2009
I’m well overdue for a weather update, so here goes: we’re going to be fluctuating wildly through the coming weeks—60s one day, 40s the next; rain one day, brilliant sunshine the next—so be sure to dress and prepare accordingly.Just a little weather tip from your old pal Monsoon.
[A quick update on The Bunk, who had surgery to remove his testicles on Monday 3/30: he’s recuperating like a champ.He’s all hirsute energy, and was thrilled to have been freed from his “cone” (the Elizabethan collar) a couple of days ago—though he still wears it at night.Wound is healing nicely, all is well, and he’ll be visiting his friends at the Total Dog on Tuesday!Pretty soon I’ll let him address you all again, as he so memorably (and profanely) did the day of his surgery.A couple of snapshots appear after the forecast.]
Sunday 4/5 – sunny and very mild with a high in the mid to upper 60s.Clouding up in the evening ahead of an approaching cold front.Look for rain developing toward dawn on Monday.Low 48.
Monday 4/6 – overcast and rather windy with rain—heavy at times—and a thunderstorm likely.Watch for hail and damaging winds with the storm, though I don’t think we’re going to approach the widespread damage seen last weekend.Rain becoming intermittent in the evening, tapering to showers and drizzle late.High 59, low 43.
Tuesday 4/7 – mostly cloudy; clearing throughout the day.A shower cannot be ruled out early.Quite windy and markedly colder.High 46, low 29.
Wednesday 4/8 – partly cloudy, breezy and chilly.High 47, low 33.
Thursday 4/9 – partly cloudy with clouds rolling in late; rain possible in the evening and overnight.Milder.High 54, low 38.
Friday 4/10 – rather cloudy and breezy with showers and drizzle possible on and off throughout the day.High 52, low 45.
Next weekend is looking clear and seasonably mild for the holiday celebrations, egg hunts, and the like: clear to partly cloudy and breezy with highs in the mid to upper 50s and lows around 40.
Next week is looking rainy and cool—at least to start.Rain is possible anytime Monday through Wednesday, with highs only in the low to mid 50s.By Thursday and Friday we’re looking at clearing skies and somewhat milder conditions with temperatures getting into the upper 50s and low 60s.
Beyond we’re looking a bit rainy (April showers, and all that) and cool, followed by the warmest temperatures of the season so far around the 20th or 21st—highs perhaps reaching into the 70s!
The Bunk Pauses in Chewing Toy to Pant, Gaze Out Window.
The Bunk Gazes Sweetly at Monsoon. On Far Left of Picture Lies Remnants of Ropy Triceratops Toy, Mercilessly Pulverized By Sweet Bunk.
"Where My Ding-Dangs At?" - The Bunk
In honor of his successful surgery today, I thought I’d let Bunk write this post reflecting on his experiences.Enjoy!
Hey, everybody! Has anyone seen my nuts?
But I kid.How they hangin'? Just a little joke among us castrati.
Earlier today I was neutered.I was asleep for it, but I’m not going to lie: I’ve got some lingering groin tenderness.
I know all about why it’s good and right for me to have undergone this surgery.I’ll live longer, I’ll stop pissing on the vacuum cleaner at the doggy day care, and I can stop all the damned humping already.(Not that I was known for it or anything—my owners nipped that in the bud the first time I got a little too friendly with a leg—but every now and again, when the testosterone started flowing...well, a dog’s gotta do what a dog’s gotta do.)
I spent the first hour or two after my owners brought me home in utter misery.As if the whole castration thing weren't indignity enough, I’ve got this goddamned Elizabethan collar on my head to stop me from biting the wound. I’m trying to walk around the house, and I don’t have peripheral vision worth a good god damn, so I keep running into shit.Mr. and Mrs. Monsoon keep stifling laughs when that happens, like it’s adorable and pathetic all at once.Maybe I’ll bite one of them on the ankle, and then when they hop around bleeding and screaming, I’ll snicker about how adorable and pathetic they look.Hey—a dog can dream...
After laying and whining for a bit, then trying futilely to rid myself of this infernal collar, I had a bit of a nosh and then conked out in front of the door.I’m supposed to wear this thing 24/7 for ten days, and I can’t run and jump for a week and a half either (no worries there—I don’t think Monsoon would be elevating for any dunks after having his tatties lopped off, you know what I’m saying?).
Below are a few pictures, some of which will enable you to enjoy a titter at my expense. Go on. Laugh it up, Chuckles. I may be a fuzzy ball of unimaginable cuteness, but I'll ... well, suffice it to say I’ve met some pretty unsavory bitches at doggy day care.
The BUNK
I gaze out the window in simpler times, just days before the surgery: pre-collar, pre-"fixing."
It just ain't right.
Trying to get a bite to eat.
Pondering the indignity of it all.
Monsoon Celebrates The Bunk
Friends,
The Bunk turned seven months old on Tuesday! He's now approximately 40 pounds and just as fluffy and adorable. In fact, several times a day, Mrs. Monsoon says, "Oh my God, do we not have the cutest dog in the whole wide world?" (And that's not just the pain pills talking.)
It's a rhetorical question, of course: we do, in fact, have the cutest dog in the whole wide world.
Next week, The Bunk will be facing the first surgery of his young life; he will undergo an orchidectomy. (No, this procedure does not involve an orchid, as pleasant as this sounds. The etymology of "orchidectomy" is Greek: "orchis" means "testis" and "ectomy" means removal. In other words, he's having his bollocks evacuated. His knapsack emptied. He will be nadless.)
All that aside, here are some great recent shots of The Bunk!
The Bunk Takes Break from Squeaky Lizard Conquest.
The Bunk Keeps Watch on Backyard from Favorite Spot.
The Bunk, in Full Just-Groomed Poof, Claims The Monsoon
Monsoon's Weather Update and Jibba-Jabba for Tuesday night, 23 March 2009
Habari mori,
Sorry I haven’t posted any weather (or jibba-jabba) for a little while.Kind of a lot going on in the world of Monsoon.The good news is that spring is here and everything is now looking up.Thanks to everyone who sent flowers, well-wishes, emails, texts, gifts, and of course, scrumptious meals (big-ups to Megan!!).We really are lucky.
A brief update on the weather appears below.Soon I’ll have a Bunk update, as tomorrow (Tuesday the 24th) is the seven-month anniversary of his birth!
Tonight will be clear and quite cold, especially for this time of year.Strong winds will diminish overnight; low will be in the upper teens.
Tuesday will be sunny and continued chilly, with temperatures a bit below normal.Expect a high in the upper 40s with moderate winds, and an overnight low in the mid 20s.
Wednesday looks partly cloudy, windy, and seasonably milder with a high in the mid 50s and an overnight low around 40.A few showers a possible late.
On Thursday temperatures will be nearly steady in the mid to upper 40s with overcast skies.Expect showers and drizzle off and on.
Friday looks quite nice: partly cloudy with a high creeping into the upper 50s to perhaps the low 60s; low only around 40.
The weekend will be overcast, chilly, and rainy.Expect rain mainly on Saturday, but showers and sprinkles* could linger into Sunday.Highs will get into the low 50s on Saturday, then only into the mid 40s on Sunday.On Sunday into Monday, temperatures could dip below freezing—possibly for the last time this season.
*A note about “sprinkles”: that is the proper term for precipitation that is steadier than drizzle but not quite steady enough to send people running for their umbrellas.“Sprinkles” is not the term for those small, oblong toppings that are used to coat an ice cream cone or doughnut.The proper term for these dessert toppings is “jimmies.”Anyone beg to differ?
Jimmies.
A postscript to the note: some have speculated that “jimmies” (used to refer to chocolate ones, with “sprinkles” being used to refer only to the rainbow-colored ones) is a racist term whose origin lies in “Jim-Crow” laws. I am just the sort of fellow who would all-too-eagerly believe in such conspiracy-theory bigoted origins. However, my own exhaustive research has revealed that this is not true; the term “jimmies” refers to the machine operator at Just Born, which made the “chocolate grains,” later known as “jimmies.”Further confusing the matter is that these items are also sometimes known as “hundreds-and-thousands” and “on-tops” (particularly in Britain, but these also refer to such cousins of jimmies as nonpareils).And that “jimmies” are slang in Canada (and elsewhere) for the genitals, and slang in some parts of the Northeast for prophylactics.
Where was I?
The last couple days of March (Monday and Tuesday) are looking partly cloudy with temperatures a bit lower than normal: highs in the mid to upper 40s, lows in the mid 30s.
Wednesday (April Fool’s Day, and Megan’s birthday) will see a sharp drop-off in temperatures as a moisture-laden system moves through.High will only get into the upper 20s, and we could get as much as six inches of snow from this event. Expect widespread school closures.
April Fool.(Come on—you didn’t see that coming?)Expect seasonably mild conditions with a high in the mid 50s and a low in the upper 30s for the first day of April.
The rest of the week is looking rainy and cool with temperatures mainly in the low to mid 40s.
The following weekend (and beyond) will see clearing and spring-like conditions: highs in the 50s and reaching toward 60!