Clean Air

Yesterday it rained a lot. Today it is still raining.

Some people complain about the rain. They say: it is cold; they will get wet; it is dark and depressing; they can’t go outside; and so on.

My feeling is different. I think: the air is being cleaned; the beautiful green trees are growing; the birds and frogs and animals can drink; fresh water is being stored in the mountains for our supply; and so on.

I think growing up in rainy Washington State affects my feeling. When I was a child, we often played in the rain.

Do you like the rain? Do you hate the rain?

Weather

This morning the sky was overcast. We often use the word overcast when there is an even layer of cloud across the whole sky. Sometimes when it is overcast, the cloud layer is very thin. When that happens, it is very bright like a sunny day. Today the layer was thick, so it was a little dark.

Around noon many large clouds formed. After that we had a downpour. We use the word downpour, when there is a heavy rain falling everywhere. It was a little scary driving on the highway because there was water on the road.

In the afternoon, the downpour stopped and we just had drizzle. We often use drizzle to describe a very light rain. In Seattle, most people don’t use an umbrella for drizzle. They don’t get very wet because the rain is so light.

What kind of weather did you have today? Tomorrow we are expecting rain again.

Beautiful Weather

Recently the weather has been getting warmer. Many days were warm, but got cold at night. Soon it will be too hot during the day.

Today it was sunny and warm all day long. Tonight it is cool, but not cold. I think this maybe the best weather of the year.

When I was driving today, I had the windows open. It felt very good to have the warm wind in my hair.

How is the weather where you are? What time of year has the best weather?

Rainy Day Fireworks

Last night it was raining at my apartment. It was raining pretty hard. I heard many loud noises outside. They sounded like explosions.

I went outside on the balcony to see what was making the noise. There were many bright explosions. Someone was launching fireworks near my house.

I was very surprised. I always thought that fireworks couldn’t be launched in heavy rain. There were a lot of fireworks. They were very beautiful.

I think a school near my home was celebrating their culture festival.

Did you know that fireworks could be launched during heavy rain? Have you watched fireworks in the rain?

Waiting for the Storm

We are expecting a typhoon this weekend. Probably it will arrive in Kyushu on Friday. I guess it will arrive here on Saturday or Sunday.

When a typhoon arrives, there is a lot of rain and wind. Sometimes the trains stop running. Sometimes the roads are closed. Sometimes the river overflows.

I plan to stay inside all weekend. I have a lot of paperwork to finish. It will be a good chance to catch up. I really don’t like paperwork, but it must be done.

Do you like paperwork? Do you have a lot of paperwork to do?

What are you doing this weekend?

Homemade Balloon

Today a teacher and a student made a giant balloon. They cut open trash bags to make plastic sheets. They taped the sheets together to make the balloon. They used a fan to fill up the balloon. They tied a plastic string to the balloon.

When the sun was shining on the balloon, it got hot and flew up into the air. It went up about 20 or 30 meters. I was very impressed. They wanted to attach a camera to the balloon, but it was too heavy.

The balloon was leaky, so it got heavier and heavier as the air leaked out. Some other students noticed the balloon outside the window. After that, they couldn’t concentrate on their class.

They wanted to use black bags because they would get hot in the sunshine and rise faster. Unfortunately, most garbage bags are clear now. I want to make my own balloon now.

Have you ever made something interesting like this? What was it?

Strange Sky

There is a large, dark cloud overhead now. It is a very large cloud.

All around the dark cloud, the sky is light blue. There are little fluffy white clouds in the bright blue sky.

It seems very strange to me. Everywhere else it’s a beautiful day. Over us, it looks like rain.

What do you think? What is the strangest weather you have seen?

Beautiful Summer Day

This summer the weather has been very hot and humid. It has been very hard to sleep.

This week the weather got a little cooler, but it was very rainy. It was hard to get exercise.

Today it is sunny and clear, but not too hot and not too humid. Finally we have a beautiful summer day. We waited until mid-September to get the good weather.

I came to work by train today and rode by bicycle to the school from the station. It feels good to get exercise in the sunshine. After school, I will ride my bike back to the station.

I’m happy.

How was your weather this summer?

A Refreshing Break

This summer the temperature has been very high. Maybe the hottest summer ever. Even in September it has still been hot, but today it is cooler.

A typhoon is passing nearby. The typhoon brought cooler weather. Many people think typhoons are very bad because they can cause flooding. Typhoons bring good things, too. When there is a drought, the crops need the water from the typhoon. This year we need the cool weather.

After the typhoon passes by, there will be sunny weather. I hope it is not too hot.

Anyhow, I am comfortable today.

Bicycling in Amsterdam

Yesterday I went bicycling in Amsterdam. Near the central train station there is a shop that rents out bicycles. They only cost about 10 Euros for a whole day.

Amsterdam is very flat. There are no hills, so it is very easy to ride a bike. Also, there are bicycle paths near the roads, so it is very safe. The humidity is very low and and there are many trees along the canals, so it is very comfortable.

There are many bicycle thieves in Amsterdam, so I was a little nervous; however, the bicycle had two very strong locks.

I ate Middle Eastern food for lunch. I took a nap on a bench near a pond in a park. I saw many antique shops. It was fun and it was cheap.