“Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.”

I begin with a quote from Oscar Wilde. My response? So sue me, Mr. Wilde, I'm here to talk about the weather anyway. When, in your opinion, does summer end? According to the National Weather Service, the autumnal equinox will occur on September 22, 2010 at 11:09 PM EDT. For the avid summer enthusiast, I imagine summer clings to life until the first frost, even the first snow - the arrival of weather that makes flip-flops and shorts a health hazard. Most of us probably fall in between and yet, I swore when I listened carefully on my quiet, suburban street last night that I could hear the sound of people kissing another summer goodbye. Labor Day weekend tends to feel like that, no?

I confess to being a bit of a weather geek. Just a bit, mind you. I needed a few science classes to earn my Bachelor's degree, a situation which improved greatly when I realized Meteorology was one of my choices. Perhaps my greatest claim to weather-geek fame is that Tom Skilling is one of my Facebook friends. This is not a sign of my popularity - Tom currently has 22,082 friends and I bet he'll friend you, too. The Library and the Web have lots of cool resources for people, even imaginative people (ahem), who like to talk, think and learn about the weather.

Online, explore the following:

• The National Weather Service for Chicago
• the World Weather Information Service
• Intellicast's "Mood Index" for the United States - is it going to a Bad Hair Day or an Aches and Pains Day? 
• Ever wonder about the seasons on other planets in our solar system? Let NASA fill you in.

Of course, you can Google these topics to your heart's delight. If you'd rather curl up with or pore over a good book, here are some one-click searches so you can see in a flash the weather-related resources here at DPPL.

• Meteorology resources for adults/teens
• Weather books, videos and more for kids
• or search for related subjects like climatology, seasons, weather forecasting, storms, hurricanes - DPPL has plenty of material to satisfy your inner meteorologist.

Whether (ha ha) your summer is over or in mid-season, I hope it's been happy and safe and full of things that make you glad to be alive. Along with being a weather geek, I am a big fan of autumn (coincidence? My birthday is September 23), so I am looking forward to the cooler temps, changing leaves and slightly slower pace that will arrive later this month. If you'd like to learn more about seasons and weather, I invite you to explore the resources listed above along with all the other great stuff at DPPL.