Woman in the Middle

Sunday we had a little rain and some truly cool weather, the first of the season. Our weather has been weird and unpredictable. Since we don’t get snow or ice in our neck of the woods, people dress based on their own comfort level and also based on how much they were ignoring, or just not believing, the weather reports. On Saturday night we were out in shorts and t-shirts and were perfectly comfortable. When it turned cool on Sunday, a lot of us, including me, hadn’t quite caught up with the change in weather.

When I went to the grocery store Sunday Afternoon, I saw every category of dress  people wear in inland So Cal in cool weather.

1. “I actually noticed the temperature and dressed appropriately, because I am cold all the time anyway.” Those are usually women of a certain age and elderly men, who had on long pants, jackets, closed toed shoes, socks, and a long sleeve shirt.

2. “I don’t care, it isn’t that cold.” Those are usually men from teens to 40s who wear shorts, t-shirts and flipflops to everything up to and including funerals.

3. “I am a little chilly.” This category is everyone else and it can include any combination of clothing, but usually falls within one of the following:

flip flops, short sleeve shirt and long pants

flip flops, shorts, and a thin jacket

Shorts, short sleeve shirt, and closed toed shoes (that was me on Sunday, until evening hit, and I threw on a sweater)

Long pants, closed toed shoes, and a short sleeved shirt.

Babies are not included in any of these categories because their parents usually dress them appropriately for the weather. Mom and Dad may be wearing flip flops, but the baby will be dressed for a snow storm.

I popped out of bed yesterday and put on a lime green Hawaii t-shirt, capris, and flip flops. I was feeling in the mood for a Starbucks run. Well, as I ran out the front door I realized it was foggy and cool outside. Surprise!  I was wearing that outfit because I mistakenly thought the weather yesterday would be like the weather the day before. Silly me.

Later as I was sitting at the computer and a bit of a chill set in, I decided I was wearing my “Ode to Summer” outfit. It was probably one of the last days I would be wearing summer clothes for a while. OK, let me rephrase that. It was probably the one of the last days I would be wearing capris or shorts for a while. If I put on long pants I can still get away with short sleeves and flip flops!

Yep, that it what autumn is like for us here in inland Southern California. The heat starts to ooze away, the plants start to perk up now that the unrelenting sun is tempered a bit, and getting into a car that has been sitting in the sun is no longer like getting into an oven.

I think there are going to be a lot of posts about weather on this blog. I apologize right now for that.