Barbara J. Hamby

Weather or Whether

Weather is the topic of the day around here. With lovely sunshine, 70 degrees at 7:00 p.m. and Mt. St. Helens blowing her top again, what would be more worthy of conversation?

Whether or not we will get rain tomorrow, one of the many tomorrows it has been promised, is a good question. With newly planted shrubs in our yard, we could use the rain.

Some of the area where ash may fall might get rain also. Although rain and ash make a muddy mess, it can be better than dry ash inhaled by humans and engines. Those of us who were in this area in 1980 remember using face masks to help our breathing and nylon stockings to protect our automobile air filters.

It’s possible there’s more steam than ash in the eruption today. Later news may have more information than was available on dinner time broadcasts that were in progress when the eruption began. I shall get back to the television and stay tuned.