Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Famine or feast

 

 

Since early June, Seattle has measured only 0.13 inches of rain.  Certainly, the driest summer I can remember. That's about to change, with the first real storm of the season headed our way, a weekend deluge expected to bring several inches of rain. In the high mountains above 6,000 feet, the first snow. The moisture and colder temperatures mark the end of the fire season in Washington. Yea.

I asked my son-in-law to run down to the house and turn off the irrigation, which has been merrily spraying our small lawn with expensive municipal water all summer. There's no sadder sight in this (mostly) parched world than a sprinkler running in the pouring rain.  

Our neighbor owns an air compressor, and generously offered to blow out our irrigation system when the temperature drops. That's an essential step to protect the underground lines from freezing. One by one, checking off the tasks.  

October is a super busy month, with two big trips and hopefully squeeze in a few days in Twisp. Last spring, in a moment of optimism, I reserved our favorite place in Palm Springs for the first week of October.  With vaccinations off to a roaring start, I thought the pandemic would be a distant memory by fall. As John likes to say, "that's what you get for thinking." Then around Halloween, I'm looking forward to seeing my dad and sister in Las Vegas. More than ever, we need to treasure the time we have together.



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