I am going to revise something I implied earlier. On our daily morning walk something, quite literally, was in the air. Or should I say, not in the air. Last night the weather pattern changed up a bit. The wind spoke for the first time in weeks along with the sky remembering how to dispense a cooling rain. We stood on the deck and listened to the booming thunder as we felt intermittent rain drops hit our forearms as we leaned on the railing of our 7th floor condo. 

Now, this morning was a horse of a different color. The air was crisp with a hint of last night’s rain. The fresh air encouraged us to take an even longer walk than normal through our neighborhood. After the walk, like I do every morning, I took my coffee, toast, and fruit out on the deck. I could finally see Doi Suthep Mountain, the air was clean, and I stayed out there an extra few minutes. 

I liken all this to Seattle’s ‘Big Dark’. For two months every winter you don’t see the sun. It’s dark when you get drive to work and dark as you drive home from work. For 16 hours, each day is dark, dark, dark! Add to this rain, occasional snow, and freezing temperatures, life seems miserable. But we take it because we know what’s coming. ‘Living in Seattle is like being married to a beautiful woman who is sick all the time.’ 

It is much the same here in the north. (As I typed ‘north’ I could not help but compare Chiang Mai and Winterfell in my mind, a Game of Thrones reference, which I’ll expand upon in a future post.) The extra heat and smoke is tolerated like the ‘Big Dark’ is tolerated back in Seattle. Because of my happy disposition I tend not to dwell in the negative. Though I gots to tell yaz, when this all reverts back to the weather of Oz, it will be a relief.