by Steve Sakiyama –
By the end of summer, my veggie garden is a jungle of weeds on steroids. While bushwhacking through the chaotic growth I fully expect to meet Dr. Livingstone (I presume) or a terrified Dorothy walking through the dark forest on her way to see the Wizard of Oz. “Lettuce, turnips and beans. Oh my!”
In an attempt to take my veggie garden seriously, I followed the yellow brick road to a garden centre in search of “good soil.” For what is basically “dirt,” there were 20 different kinds of soil that appeared to solve all my problems (including world peace). Which one is best? Included in the array of choices were “soil amendments” – these include cow and sheep manure as well as something called “mushroom manure.” What is this really? Do mushrooms make manure?
Even shopping for something as simple as bread involves an exciting selection process. While at a grocery store, I counted over 25 different types of bread on the shelf and if you shop online there are 147 different kinds and brands to choose from. Just the grain bread alone includes those with three, five, 14 and 22 kinds of grains consisting of ancient, whole and just-sprouted grain types.
While it is fantastic that we have so many choices, my scientific mind tries to consider all 47 factors involved in making a decision about bread. I stand transfixed by the array of possibilities, and soon the store intercom crackles with an announcement. “Clean up in Aisle 5 … approach the gentleman staring at the bread with caution and lead him gently to the rutabagas – he’ll snap out of it.”
Speaking of variations on a theme, when we think about the weather we often refer to temperature and precipitation. However, to provide a more complete picture of the atmosphere several more pieces of the puzzle are needed. Some of these include relative humidity, wind speed and direction, cloud cover and atmospheric pressure. Although these add more information, these additional pieces may need further descriptors to completely capture their meaning. For example, “precipitation” has many facets. It can be showery, intermittent or continuous. It can occur in different forms (rain, freezing rain, freezing drizzle, hail, snow, snow pellets, snow grains) as well as various intensities (light, moderate, heavy). Weather stations around the world record all these detailed pieces of information and when combined they form the atmospheric mosaic that constitutes our weather.
So here is the dirt on the April weather outlook for the South Island. There is a greater chance that it will be a cooler-than-normal month. For precipitation, the picture is less clear as the models are undecided as to whether conditions will be wetter or drier than normal, or just normal.
No matter what the weather, during April nature reveals its vast variety in a spectacular display of vibrant growth and colour. The amazing complexity of all the innumerable parts of the natural environment calls out a chorus of perfect harmony and fills all our senses. This month, make an easy decision. Slow down and experience its fullness. You will be transfixed – not in confusion, but lost in wonder by the amazing display unfolding before you. Land, sky, and sea … oh my.
~Weatherwit
