AZ forecast: cloudy with 100 percent chance of whining

Wednesday night, the West Valley took a beating from high winds and rain. I know because I was there.

I opened my back door and couldn’t see past the patio. The kids thought it was the coolest thing that they had ever seen. My wife was worried about the pool umbrellas. What I didn’t hear in the Russell house was complaining about all of these annoying monsoons.

It’s a time-honored Arizona tradition. Arizonans complain about the weather for about 300 days of the year. That leaves us with roughly two months of climate calm.

If you find these claims offensive, then you are probably the worst of the lot.

I hear this nonsense EVERY season. Yes, Arizona has seasons.

• “This heat is killing me!” First of all, it’s not killing you. Second, you live in the middle of the freakin’ desert. What did you expect when you moved here? Arizona (and most deserts) has a reputation for high temps. Did you miss that in the brochure?

• “We REALLY need some rain.” Once again, you live in the desert. Show some patience.

• “We just need to get past this monsoon season.” PICK A SIDE! As if every resident starts a rain dance in early August, our dry weather turns to rainy and humid. Once again, not good enough for us.

Then there is inevitable annual ritual of covering our plants for the two-day “freeze.” “When will spring get here? This cold weather is just a hassle.” We long for the days of warmer weather so we can start complaining about the heat.

The fact is that we have an AMAZING climate here in Arizona. It’s high time people stop bellyaching about weather, stop screaming about the kids on your lawn, get outside and enjoy what AZ has to offer.