It’s been raining a lot the past week or more – cuts down on the livability of Seattle for some folks. It’s just typical Seattle weather – when you move here, it only takes 45 days to develop your web feet, not 90. As the t-shirt proclaimed in the gift shop at the Space Needle during the World’s Fair – People in Seattle don’t tan – they rust. Yes, there are lots of things about Seattle that are cool; just remember, if you wait for a nice day to do things, you won’t be going out very much. I personally love the rain, the green, a large body of salt wanter and proper mountains. I have a friend who was raised in the UP of Michigan and she feels closed in by the mountains. Just depends on what one is used to seeing.
Last night the wind kicked up and was blowing the chairs around the porch. I went out and stacked the two chairs and tables together and folded up the other two chairs and put them on top of each other. I think they are still where I put them – I haven’t been out yet. Now I expected the rain storm the weatherman predicted, but it didn’t really rain a lot. We were watching the World Series game and about 8:45 the lights flickered, went off, came back on, went off, came back for a second and then the electricity vanished. So we were stumbling around looking for candles, flashlights, etc. to see where we going. We looked out and the whole neighborhood was dark, plus down the hill into Shorewood. It didn’t look as if it was going to come back on again for a while – Eddie really wanted to watch the end of the game because San Francisco had galvanized themselves and it was getting exciting.
Ellen sent this photo the other day and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sound was very much like this last night.
Feisty October Water
It was only around 9, our solution was to go to bed. That was fine with me. I have been sleeping a lot – Eddie said I am sleeping too much. However, I told him “You have no idea how exhausted I am”. At the moment, there isn’t enough sleep to put a dent in that fatigue, it will take a while. I have been having naps and then sleeping well at night, at some point I will notice more energy.
We woke up about 5 this morning to see the clock flashing, we had electricity. The poor dishwasher had stopped in mid-cycle, then I opened it before it was completely finished – it has recovered now. We slept until around 7 and got up to everything working properly – boy are me dependent on electricity for everything. Thank goodness the water was working all the time – that is much harder to live without. I notice it is windy again, though not as hard as it was last night. Also rain in the forecast, we just take it as it comes.
Now Eddie is ready to go out; me, I am fine here. Normally he would be over at the Car Museum, but he said he needed rest and didn’t go. He wants me to go with him – the old “I’m free and I want you to play with me”. He will say he is going to be a bum and just read – that lasts for a bit and then he gets antsy. He is not the type to just sit and watch tv or vegetate.
Friday brought a small spanner in the works about Mom. We went to her bank to let them know she died and showed them the death certificate. As Nick was checking the computer, he found they had been notified on the 20th – no idea where it came or who. The spanner is that she has a $5400 overdraft reserve. I need to go to court and show the will where I am named executor and become officially the executor. then I can take that off the account in case the State may decide they should have the money. Guess who will have to pay it? You guessed – us. I think it is called letter of testament. Dave is away hunting this week, so I need to see what I can do myself. This is definitely a learning experience.
One thing about living in Seattle, if you don’t like what it is doing, wait a bit and it will change. We have had sun and blue sky a bit, now it is cloudy and grey. Who knows, the sun may come out later. This is the fog season and we have had plenty of that. I can remember our Christmas trips here and wondering if we would get fogged in coming or going. It often surprised me to find we would fly in, the fog would come down and not leave until the day before we left. Then again, it could snow and that is also spanner in the works.
Not a lot to write about since I am still in neutral. I so appreciate all the offers of help from friends and neighbors. I don’t know how I feel, what I need or what I am going to do, so it makes it difficult to let other people know. What I do know is that people want to help, it can be part of their healing as well as mine. It bothers me I don’t any anything specific at the moment, I know the gift of receiving is important to all parties. It’s hard to say that I am not devastated or that it is painful because it is a relief to know Mom is no longer in pain, confused, afraid or anxious – she is now with Dad and Josephine the cat. It was a difficult road for both of us and I just remember her the last time I saw her, cuddled up in bed with the baby doll asleep. She looked so peaceful and comfortable. Does that sound callous? Maybe it just hasn’t really hit me yet.
Tags: bank account, livability, overdraft, Rain, Seattle, Sleep, wind
Gift of RA 
October 26, 2014 at 9:38 pm |
Not callous at all, Liz. It left you with a pleasant picture of your mom to carry with you. These days, 9-1/2 years after his death, it’s more the times when daddy was still alive (even though some are from when he was dying) that I remember, and less of the day we arrived down at his house to find him gone. Not that I don’t think about that occasionally, too–crying, with my head on his chest, before the Hospice nurse came to get him ready for the funeral home–but I remember the sweet times, more–his comments after I’d been down to fix a meal or play the piano, some conversations we had shared, etc. So, you will have this last, sweet picture of your mom to carry with you, plus all the many memories of past years.
Now, as to the rain…!!! I’ve lived out here over 50 years, and I don’t think I will Ever grow to like it!! It’s okay as long as it’s just now and then, but not coming down in buckets, or for days and days without end! (And, yes, I still feel closed in by the mountains–when I can see them! I guess that might be a benefit of all the clouds–if there’s a thick cloud cover, I can’t see the mountains! What a trade-off!! LOL)
love, Char
October 27, 2014 at 7:15 am |
Oh My, there is not much I can say, you have said it so well. As for rain, I prefer this to the hot, humid rain and green in the Eastern part of the U.S. – to me, that’s for the birds.