It’s entirely unwise to make sweeping generalizations based on small sample sizes, but that’s never stopped me before, so here goes: I hate the weather this year – it’s the crappiest I can recall in my 21 years in the Spokane area. Last winter was mild to the point of nonexistence, and yet it refused to let go – all the way through May and June. The frost continued way past normal (in fact, I think it killed off our normally abundant crowd of hummingbirds – I usually have to refill the feeder every day, but it’s been full for three days straight). Now we find ourselves in the first week of July and the temperature has yet to crack 75°(F) for more than two days in a row.

I’m not a believer in the Religion of Gore (specifically, the one referencing human-caused global warming – as for the one referencing sex-crazed windbags and Portland masseuses, well, lets just say I’m keeping an open mind). I’m willing to accept that global temperatures vary on average, and that local climates can (and are continually) affected by human activity, but can humans affect the earth’s climate as a whole and are we doing so now? I remain skeptical on that.

In general, if I had the power to decide the Earth’s climatological future and had to choose only between warmer temperatures and cooler temperatures, I’d choose the former. Warmer temperatures mean longer summers, extended baseball seasons, and more bikinis. What’s not to like?

Unfortunately, if the past couple years are any indication, the trend is going the other way, and it’s making me grumpy.