Boise is once again near the top of a national Top 10 list. This time it's Kiplinger's Personal Finance "Best Cities to Live, Work, and Play" where we landed comfortably at #4.

Kiplinger noticed the abundance of activities both outdoor and cultural, the modest cost of living and low commute time, plus the natural beauty of the area. A population with above average educational level is great for employers, as well as a cost of doing business that is reported as a third less than Washington or California. Boise ranks well in many other lists including Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, etc. What is not mentioned in the Kiplinger article is the weather.

It is a mostly sunny four season area, and I find the changes refreshing. Winters are cool with a touch of frost and an occasional dusting of snow measured in inches rather than feet. Spring is fresh and green with fruit blossom festivals in the more rural areas. Summer pulls you to the mountains, lakes and trout streams as the temperatures creep towards a dry 98°. Fall is beautiful with the leaves turning all colors of the Sunset-of-Summer in the City of Trees and community Harvest Festivals celebrate family and our agricultural roots.

Aside from what the weather is, there is also what the weather is not. It is not extreme. It is not hail the size of golf balls, not hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, or waterlogged levees. In the rare case of hail it is like teeny tiny snowballs. We occasionally get a bit of lightning or wind, but I find it more interesting than anything else. A few of the rivers nudge their banks every 5 to 50 years, but that's just Nature's way of saying read your FEMA maps - and listen to your REALTOR®.