El Neutral

It has rained almost every day for the past two weeks now, with a splattering of hail thrown in to break up the boredom. Yes, that white stuff is fresh hail on fresh leaf mulch. There's a parade of storms aimed right at us, lined up in the Pacific from now until eternity. I read a weather blog that claimed some local people found the past months of relentless sunshine "depressing." Thank goodness, their bad mood will finally lift.

The La Nina and El Nino patterns are gone and this year is considered a "neutral" winter in the Northwest.  El Neutral does not necessarily mean quiet weather, and historical records show that the biggest windstorms, floods and snowstorms tend to happen in neutral years. Speaking of that, the TV news this morning is all about Hurricane Sandy and the possibility of a monster storm on the East coast.  

I decided I'm finished leaf mulching, mostly because I'm tired of trudging back and forth across the busy street with my cart.  I made enough trips to the maple tree to cover the beds with a light layer, which helps keep the weeds down over the winter.  And the worms love it.

It was amazing to see how fast everything greened up and started growing when the rain came back.  Unlike many parts of the country, winters here are green, green, green.  I still have plenty of outdoor work to do, but feeling kind of smug because I did the major clean-up while the warm sun was shining in late September.

 
The moral of the fable  is: it is best to prepare for the day of necessity.  Our thoughts are with you on the East coast.