The new January

The weather in Boise has been unseasonably warm. This morning, my weather app insisted that the high for the day would be 49 degrees, despite the fact that it was 51 at 5 in the morning. And, as the day went on, and the temperature continued to rise, the app would change its high to match the current temperature until we hit the actual day's high of 60 degrees.

This is NOT January in Boise. We have, in the 12 or so years I've lived here, had times when we get a warm spell in February or March, and sometimes the trees bud or flower, but then we get a cold snap and they die. I wish I could tell the trees that they shouldn't be budding, because I'm pretty sure we'll get at least one more week of cold temperatures.

But I'm not sure. Maybe we're getting a super mild winter and it's just going to keep getting warmer. That wouldn't be good for the backpacking season. A shorter winter means less snow pack, which means less water, especially later in the season. And while that does tend to mean a low mosquito season, I'd rather deal with mosquitoes than not have enough water.

Especially because I've got a new pair of hiking pants. My husband has long extolled the virtues of RailRiders pants. He had, for me, a very specific idea in mind of what I should get, namely the kind that had reinforced knees and seat. As fate would have it, in the women's selection only one pair of pants had that reinforcement and it happened to be the same pair that had integral bug protection.

So I have tough pants that protect against bugs, and I'd like to be able to use them for that purpose.

So, hey, Weather, it's still January. Cool it!