Windswept – Fall 2001, Volume 42 Number 3
Windswept is Mount Washington Observatory's quarterly member magazine. Offering an exclusive look at all things Mount Washington, each edition features stories about the mountain's weather, personalities, news and special events.
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Features
- Savoring the Seasons
- A humorous look at New Hampshire's changing seasons.
By Scot Henley. - Coming Home
- A special report from the Observatory's President.
By Paul Fitzgerald. - From Peak to Pole
- Two South Pole veterans compare weather extremes at Mount Washington and the South Pole.
By Anna Porter and Meghan Prentiss. - Cross-country in the Weathermobile
- Part II of a meteorological field trip to the National Weather Service conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
By Bryan Yeaton. - Nin's Notes
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Translated by Greg West and Katie Hess
Meeoooww. It's been a rough summer. I've only been getting about 18-22 hours of sleep per day, and there are so many changes going on up here, too. It's hard to keep track of everything.
Julia left me to spend more time with her cats at home. (She said it was for another job, but I don't believe her.) Then Tod moved to Katie Hess's shift, and at the same time Katie Koster started on Charlie's shift. I like her, but all these changes have been an emotional roller coaster for me. Next thing I know, Anna Porter shows up here as an observer again! I thought she was at the South Pole! Well, if she thinks she can just walk back into my life after how she left me, she's wrong. But, I guess I'll forgive her. Eventually.
I haven't even mentioned the new interns up here. Chris and Adrienne are nice to me. I pay them the occasional visit in the museum, but you must understand that much of my time is consumed by sleeping, and I can only do so much. Ed is also nice to me. If Laurie's lap isn't available, Ed's is my second choice. Then there's Greg. He chases me around and feeds me catnip.
I think it's pretty clear to everyone who runs the show up here. Who's the king of the mountain? Me. However, the observers occasionally forget this and start working on observations and other things! I promptly remind them by jumping up and laying down on whatever they're working on. This usually sets them straight.There also have been two dogs that seemed to have trouble grasping the notion that I run the show up here. That's understandable, because they're dogs. Everyone knows that cats are smarter than dogs. One dog was Michelle's. He showed up on the day of the volleyball game and kicked me out of the Observatory! I was not happy. The other dog had gotten away from a hiker and showed up on the summit. So Bill from the State Park kept him here for the night. This I was willing to tolerate as long as he stayed in the State Park (the dog, not Bill). But he had the nerve to come into the Observatory! Once again I was kicked off my own turf.
Finally, there's the summit fox. Actually there's two of them. I've had several run-ins with these creatures. Usually it ends in a standoff, which I win, of course. I'm an intimidating cat.
Well, I guess that's all for now. My paws are getting tired and I have some important things to attend to. Yawn.
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