It's raining this morning. I'm glad.
I'm glad because yesterday was the autumnal equinox and, although the real rains aren't scheduled to return until October 30th, this one will do until the real thing comes along.
Maybe it's because I've lived in Seattle so long that I've gone native, but I think it's deeper than that. I came out here from Wisconsin, where we had winter. I loved winter, but here I've had to settle for the long dark and the rains. I've grown to love them too.
I don't mean to rain on anybody's parade. I love those first April days when the sun breaks through for the first time on a lovely green world. I revel in the gardens of May and June, and I appreciate the first days of summer sun, summer heat. I have friends, good friends, who love the sun, who live for July 5th, the day here in the Pacific Northwest when summer can sometimes be counted on to arrive. I used to give yearly parties in August - well, everybody gives yearly parties in August - the month when it might not rain.
But come the end of August, I'm kinda tired of it. I long for the days when the light grows dim and the air becomes chilly enough for a jacket. When I can close the door and pull the day in after me. When I can stock the fridge and batten down the hatches. I like the feeling of having to put a little effort into survival. Summer is too easy. I can't quite sink my teeth into it.
It's raining today. Time to clean the bird feeders. Time to order wood. Time to make soup. The rainy season is almost here.