What a week! The days continue to get longer, and all week, the neighborhood has smelled of flowers and rain. On a long mid-week walk through the neighborhood, I found blooms everywhere. I can never resist photographing the delicate cherry, plum, and apple blossoms, but also saw daffodil, paperwhite, hyacinth, hellebore, and magnolia blooms as well. Spring is most definitely here, and with spring, come windstorms. Over the week, we had several blustery days, but Sunday took the cake. At one point, the Puget Sound Energy website was reporting over 200,000 homes without power in the area. At home, our power has been our for nearly 24 hours now - by far the longest we've ever been without power.
Read moreLife: Week 9
I started the week with an exhausting one day trip to Sacramento for work. I was at the airport by 5:30 AM, and didn't get home until 10:30 PM. At least I made it to the airport with enough time to pick up an enormous coffee and breakfast. Thankfully the rest of the work week was mostly uneventful. What really made this week splendid was the weekend spent in Wenatchee. With my sister-in-law and niece in town, we dashed over to the sunnier side of the Cascades for some much needed family time. We played games, read stories, and explored the yard. While spring seems much further off in eastern Washington, the crocuses poking up all over the yard were a sign of spring to come. After such a lovely weekend, it was difficult to get in the car and head back home, but we managed.
Read moreLife: Week 8
Spring! It's still two weeks until Daylight Savings Time begins, and three until spring officially begins, but it has consistently felt like spring for weeks. This post from Cliff Mass reassured me that I'm not crazy for feeling spring has begun well before the calendar says it has. Here in the Seattle area, we're just lucky to have more spring than anyone else in the country. I love these transitional times, where two season push up against each other. In some places there are only bare branches and dead leaves, while in others spring is in full bloom.
Read moreLife: Week 7
Last week I was wrong when I predicted weeks of grey skies! We've had another week of springlike weather, and the blooms of late winter are everywhere, making it feel as it spring is well under way. I know that it's still weeks away, but I am loving every minute of this ever changing weather. From my office on Wednesday there was pouring rain out one window and sunshine out the other, and shortly afterward, a vivid rainbow. Other than the dramatic weather, it was a quiet week. Andy was getting over a terrible cold, so we didn't do much.
Read moreLife: Week 6
This week felt like spring. So much more so than the February fake-out we usually have in the Pacific Northwest. As usual, we had a few days of delicious sunshine and warm temperatures. What made it feel more springlike was the fog, heavy rain, and gusty wind thrown into the mix. True spring in the Pacific Northwest. Now we're back to the constant flat grey skies and cooler temperatures of February, and I don't expect to see much of a change for at least a few weeks. Thankfully my office has lots of windows, so I was able to soak up the sunshine while it lasted!
Read more