Rain, rain go away.

Make sure you take a deep, deep breath.
We are going under water folks and won't resurface for a very long time.

The Puget Sound rain can drive us all to put our PJs on early. It has a cozy feel when the fire is lit and a book has been opened. The foggy skies envelop us. It is our blanket. I long for a sweater with just the right amount of warmth and softness. There is peace.

I come to grips with the Puget Sound rain every February. The cherry blossoms start to bud and there is a touch of warmth behind the nastiness. The grass is lush and green and the sunsets can take you by surprise. There is a brief opening prior to the plunge back into the wetness. Sometimes this interlude lasts several hours or it can last several weeks. The crispness has faded. My hands are no longer cold. I am able to fast forward through the windy storms of March, right on to July.

There is a time however, between October and January that the Puget Sound is brutish, nasty and downright wet. It rips our summer from us. We long to hang on. Our grip loosens a bit more every day through the last week of September.

We glimpse a bit of sun and we adorn our short-sleeve t-shirts with scarves and wear boots with our shorts.  It is a cold time. Our children unceasingly ask us if it is still raining. Our parks are deserted. The walk from our car to the grocery store is a desolate one. Our neighbors hibernate. Our dogs refuse to go outside. The furnace roars to life again.  We eat fatty foods. Gone are our salads. Our cars take on a musty smell. Everyone hurries to get out of the wet.

Our lazy, just got started, Summer of beach walks, too hot bedrooms, birds chirping at 4:00am, BBQs, sandals, water fights and camp outs comes crashing to a halt. And all we are left with is a closet full of the wrong type of clothes and fleeting memories, almost dream like, of the way it used to be.

Break out the sweaters. Break out the PJs.  Hold on (to a book, a hobby, your lover, your house or your work) until February. Make sure you take a deep, deep breath. We are going under water folks and won't resurface for a very long time.

After time you learn to spot the Februarys. They are our life preservers, our saviors. As your lift the July page in your calendar this all will be a fleeting memory.