The "unlucky" grid

 

West Seattle

On Friday the 13th, the power went off on just as I was starting dinner. We were home from the Symphony and settling in for the night. No wind, no storm, no nothing. We've lost power at our house more times in the last 2 years than in the previous 40 years. 

This time, apparently a tree fell on lines far south of us. Who knows, maybe the grid is stressed from the new housing density. Electric and Internet lines are strung off old wooden poles in West Seattle, both unsightly and vulnerable.

Anyway, this particular grid, which includes a long stretch of Alki Beach, is only a block wide in places. So if you live along one of the unlucky perimeters, you can see the cheerful lights glowing in the house right across the way. Misery loves company, and before long you resent your neighbors for nothing more than their good luck. This has happened several times. 

Then just as I was getting into pioneer life (almost total silence and dinner by candlelight) the alarm squawked and everything jumped back to life. Fortunately, a shorter outage this time around.

What else is new? Rain every day in the forecast this week. No news there. We're looking forward to an upcoming trip to southern California. It should be dried out by then and beautiful in the desert.

Not much to do this weekend except watch football. I had a gigantic bunch of bananas from Costco and made a cake, also some candied walnuts.

The walnuts are boiled first, then coated in a light sugar honey syrup, finally baked. An interesting and tricky recipe. There's about 30 seconds between mahogany perfection and a burnt mess of expensive nuts. They're are not as sweet as they look, and addictive. Also good in stir fry if you haven't eaten them all first.

Happy holiday Monday!

Friday the 13th

 

Are you triskaidekaphobic? From the ancient Greek, the word means fear of the number 13. Humans are a superstitious bunch, and builders omit "unlucky" 13th floors in buildings, hotel rooms and ship cabins. 

We're almost on the downward slope of January. We should never wish our days away, but YEA! February is deep winter in most parts of the country, but here in western Washington it's our transition month, with noticeably more daylight and bulbs popping up.

In a few weeks, the early bloomers like camellias brighten up the streets and carpet the sidewalk as the flowers drop off in the rain. It seems like the other day when Nova and Maya were babies and entranced with all that color on the ground. Compared to the Methow Valley, Seattle looks like the garden of Eden in February.

No surprise, another rainy day with endless moisture streaming up from California. The yard feels like walking around on a sopping wet sponge. We're going downtown for a mid-day Symphony concert with the senior crowd. A nice program of Hayden, Mozart and Beethoven. 

Have a good weekend.

Heigh-ho

 

 

On a Ho-hum rainy Thursday. 

Our turn

 

What a nice day yesterday. Not a cloud in the sky and warm enough for just a light jacket. I got in over an hour of peaceful yard work with just the birds for company. 

My brother Dave also drove up from Enumclaw in the morning. We hadn't been together since Thanksgiving in Twisp, so exchanged gifts (Cougar Gold cheese and French champagne, thanks!) We had a relaxed lunch (white chili, cabbage salad and sweet cornbread) followed by a taste of genuine English "figgy pudding." 

John bought it at Husky Deli in December. Very dense stuff that tasted somewhat like the filling in Fig Newtons, but better. It must have been the rum. The British have been making Christmas puddings for a long time.

So now it's our turn at the fire hose with the warm atmospheric river pointed north tomorrow. They are talking about inches of rain in the lowlands over the next two days, with heavy snow followed by melting in the mountains. 

Even the Methow Valley, the favored cold spot of the state, will get rain over the next few days. I can only imagine the sloppy mess with snow coming off the roofs and the mountains of snow around town melting. Speaking of roofs, so far so good. John says this is called "proof testing." An engineering term meaning see if it breaks. 

A brief lull

 

Just a pause in the atmospheric river parade, but we're looking forward to a couple of dry days. And a tease of spring weather, getting into the 50's this afternoon. It was a teeny-tiny bit lighter when our outdoor timer went on at 4 pm yesterday. I hope to get some soggy yard work in before the next storm on Thursday.

On Monday I went to The Ukes, for the first time in several weeks. The group seems to be forming again, that's the good news, but with just a few of the old members returning. For some reason, the new men cluster together on one side of the room, talking and showing off their little riffs, which reminds me of grade school boys. Someone walked by and asked if we were a "segregated" group. Very funny.

Rain, rain, go away

 

I'm starting to go slightly nuts with no outdoor exercise for several days. For a fresh air freak, nothing is worse than being cooped up inside. Yes, yes. Just buy some decent rain gear.  It's Seattle in January. Or move to Arizona and complain about something else.

Fortunately, the main atmospheric river is aimed south, so we're getting off easy (this time around) compared to California. Talk about feast or famine. Their reservoirs are filling up again but what destruction and chaos down there.

Over in the Methow Valley, heavy wet snow brought down trees and power lines this weekend. Our homes are OK, although a giant tree came down across the street from Amanda and Tom and they lost Internet and phone service. Amanda sent this picture and said, "Mom, you would not like Twisp right now." No argument there.

 

How about that, the Seahawks "exceeded all expectations" this season. We heard the last few minutes of overtime on the radio as we drove by the stadium coming home from the concert yesterday. Great timing, with hardly any traffic. I went to bed with my book while John watched the Sunday night game that handed them a lucky wildcard spot in the playoffs. So that brightens up a gloomy January in Seattle.