More awful weather, another hard week

Mushrooms galore

One thing that happens when it gets this wet in the Pacific Northwest is a bonanza of mushrooms, of many kinds. They are everywhere out in the forests, and we get to enjoy seeing many varieties pop up, almost like magic. They are there, all the time, and all they need is a little (or even a lot) of moisture.

We have been having an incredible amount of rain. After four inches last week with the atmospheric river, this week we are having yet another one. We expect at least two more inches of rain to fall today and tomorrow. Plus tonight we are expecting very strong winds that will continue for hours, probably producing power outages. SG has filled many jugs and pails of water for drinking in case we lose power and cannot get any clean water from our faucets for any length of time. 

SG has been doing extremely well with just using one arm, as his broken elbow has become somewhat usable, if he holds it carefully next to his body and doesn't put any external pressure on it. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was out of the woods. But his doctor now wants him to get another x-ray, which is problematic, since he can't drive and I shouldn't, since I can't see very well any more. In full sunlight in the middle of the day, I can navigate in familiar places, but I don't try unless it's truly needed. He will probably need surgery, but we won't know that for awhile.

My friend John has offered to drive him to the imaging center, and he has been helping us get groceries as we need them. We will get through this, I know we will, but it's been so hard. We are no longer young and strong, so everything takes longer and becomes difficult at times. My tolerance for this kind of stress has diminished considerably.

However, because of all the rain, we are surrounded by communities that have been evacuated. The entire Skagit Valley is underwater, and I fear for the tulip festival we enjoy every April. But we have some time between now and then, and I'm hoping for the best. At least we are not needing to evacuate and probably will be able to weather this period with the help of friends and having each other. And I will be able to get to my volunteer work at the Senior Center this week, which always raises my spirits. I will keep you posted.

(smile)

Staying above water

A winter view of Bellingham Bay

We, here in the Pacific Northwest, are in the midst of a strong atmospheric river, coming up from Hawaii, sometimes called a "Pineapple Express" because of it. We have had several inches of rain already, but we here are not getting the worst of it. Many places south of us have gotten much more rain, with subsequent mudslides and rivers overflowing their banks. Right now we are having a short respite, but tomorrow we are supposed to get many more inches of rain, right here in Bellingham (I started to say, "right here in River City," but considering our wet situation, it didn't seem appropriate.

But mainly I am managing to take everything in stride. Yesterday I got my first massage in six weeks, and it was really helpful. I slept for over nine hours last night, restful and dreamless sleep. Tomorrow I will take a bus to the new Senior Center for a yoga class, which also helps me immeasurably. Both my guy and I signed up again for the same health coverage we had last year; it covers the new medication his doctor will be putting him on, so we are happy about that. Hopefully he will tolerate it with few side effects. It's a monthly shot, rather than daily pills. (It's more expensive, but what isn't?)

A long-time friend has gifted me with a Jacque Lawson Advent Calendar that I access daily and enjoy it tremendously. I spend hours every day with it, playing games, puzzles, and looking for a different elf every day hiding in the landscape. It portrays a winter wonderland in England and is filled with delights.

I still have to get all my bills paid and spend some time doing useful stuff online, but I tend to put that off in order to play on the laptop. I have two blogs I write each week, this one and the Sunday one, so here it is, my Tuesday ruminations. Hope you're having a good time wherever you are living. I think I've almost had my fill of rain, but at least it's warm.

(smile)

Birthday celebration

Threesome at Scotty Brown's

 These two lovely ladies treated me to a wonderful lunch at one of my favorite places to eat in Bellingham, Scotty Brown's. They said I could pick the place and do exactly what I wanted, before and after, and I chose this place because I know it so well. (It's where Lily and I usually end up when we eat out.) I enjoyed the Cowboy Salad and they had (Frankie) veggie burgers and (Michelle) fish tacos. I'm not someone who eats out often, but it seems like I've been doing a lot of it during Thanksgiving and the holidays, and we're just now getting started, with the entire month of December, probably mostly a celebration of food. On Saturday I enjoyed Korean food with my friend Steve, then Sunday and Monday were breakfast and lunch with my friend John. Today was the delightful meal with Frankie and Michelle. I certainly am not feeling hungry right now!

To top off the wonderful meal at Scotty's, we shared a dessert three ways, a super delicious chocolate and coffee ice cream delight. It was so big I wondered how in the world one person could eat so much, and the waitperson said it was a teeny big larger just for us. We were all groaning from the treat, and all of us figured we might have already consumed our day's calories. And then some, I suspect. Good thing this only comes around once a year, right?

Thank you, ladies!

Oh wait.... they have birthdays, too. Hopefully I'll be ready for the next one; Michelle's is at the end of the month. I'll take a deep breath and gird my loins...

(smile)