PontifiKate

Ohh, the MisTRAL

(pronounced "mee-strahl")

I’ve heard from many sources that when one moves to southern France it is usual to first hear tell of the Mistral, then to pooh-pooh the Mistral, and finally come to the point where one says, “Ohh, the MisTRAL!” I must admit that I’ve been wanting to make such a progression myself as it’s part of the southern France experience, but so far I’ve not been tempted to say any such thing. The only thing along those lines which I think has escaped my lips is, “Huh, now that is really cold wind.”

I guess I’m just a hardy Nebraska girl. I didn’t buy a winter coat until the end of November while others first began wearing them more than a month earlier. People say, “Oh, it’s so cold!” and I say, “Yeah, I guess.” Sometimes I manage to resist adding, “but it’s nothing like Nebraska in the winter,” but sometimes it jumps out before I can stop it! I’ve only felt one wind that to me was exceptional (the cold one), and while I’m not sure NE winds get quite that cold, they get darn close. I even had to ask someone, "So, have we experienced the Mistral yet this winter?" because I wasn't sure. The woman was surprised at my ignorance and assured me that the answer was yes.

One of the teachers I work with just got back from the Alps. She was talking about how cold it was there: -18 degrees! I whipped out the Celsius-Fahrenheit chart that lives in my purse (thanks, Bess!) and said, “Oh, so it was zero? Yeah, that’s cold, isn’t it?” successfully withstanding the urge to add how frequently I’ve, for example, awaited busses in that or a colder climate.

Apparently I’m a big ball of Nebraska pride when it comes to the weather, even though I’ve never taken pride in it before. But I love when people ask me about the weather “where you come from” and then being able to tell them about the extremes we experience as a matter of course. I love feeling so undisturbed by the “weather” that has the rest of the region all a flurry. I feel so, I don’t know, above it all...

I love my home!


Footnote: Mistral is also the name of a guy who lived in this region of France -- a poet, to be specific. I guess he was... wait for it... long-winded! (nyuk nyuk nyuk)

posted by Kate @ 2:57 PM