It never ceases, the weather, that is. First it was the blizzard, then weeks and weeks of rain, followed by a hurricane and mudstorm, which occurs when it rains at the same time as there’s a duststorm, which we had back in June, when everyone was driving around with mud all over their car or truck.

In Phoenix, they’re called “haboobs.” Don’t ask me why, but that’s what they’re called and, if you’ve ever been to Phoenix in the summertime, you’ve surely encountered a haboob or two.

Did you ever notice that every time you wash your car, it rains the very next day? Yep, happens nearly every time. I’d like to play for you now a lovely instrumental, “The Rain Song” by Led Zeppelin.

Dribble, dribble, drip, drip, drip, splat, splat, splat, splatter, splatter, splash, splash, splash, wooosh, woooosh. (“The Rain Song” – Led Zeppelin – 1973) Did you notice how the intensity of the rain got stronger toward the end? Jimmy Page sure does play a mean guitar, doesn’t he? They must have given Robert Plant the day off when they recorded that one.

Thank goodness it didn’t rain during last week’s Brewfest. I can’t stand when it rains on my beer… or my parade and, besides, I don’t care for watered-down beer. But wouldn’t ya know it, it’s raining now. A few weeks ago, it was raining cats and dogs and, doggone it, I stepped in a poodle. By the way, what do you call it when it rains ducks and geese? Fowl weather…Ha, ha, ha, gotcha on that one!

Some folks blame the weatherman or weather lady when it rains. Have you noticed that most of the LA weather reporters these days are female? I would never blame anything on Evelyn or Olga, both on Channel 9. However, I might blame Channel 7’s Dallas Raines. And is that really his name? Speaking of Channel 7, who remembers meteorologist George Fischbeck (Dr. George)? Some of you old codgers may recall the time, back in the 80s, that the jovial Dr. George landed in the Channel 7 Eyewitness News helicopter on the playground at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School and greeted many of his followers at the nearby Enchantment Lodge restaurant. I was there to welcome him to Crestline and to interview him for an article in the Alpenhorn News, this newspaper’s forerunner.

And speaking of weather predictors, which I just was, have you read the predictions from the Old Farmer’s Almanac for this next winter? Well, I haven’t, but do old farmers really know anything about our mountains anyway? We haven’t had a lot of farmers, especially old farmers, up here for decades.

Knapps Cutoff was named for the Knapp family’s generosity of allowing people to drive across their land; I understand they were excellent farmers, providing produce to the mountaintop in the early 1900s to 1920s. They haven’t been here for over a century and any other old farmers that might have been here are probably gone by now, too.

As I began, it never ceases, the weather, that is, and I’ll stand by that statement until it changes again!

Keep it flyin’

Uncle Mott