Hello fall, hello rain

Well, fall is in the air here and with the fall comes the start of the rain. Over the next two months, the rains will come more and more frequently and will continue to come until early next spring. This is the price one pays for living in the Pacific Northwest. This is *not* the place for those with Seasonal Affective Disorder. But, for us, it's worth the long rainy season to have most other months be beautiful and green. It doesn't really ever snow here (except in the mountains) and so I look at the rains like people from Buffalo look at snow. It's just part of the package. However, I will miss the clear blue skys and light breezes that abound here from the spring until late fall. But, they'll return.

Our rose bushes bloomed again over the past week or two as a beautiful good-bye before their winter rest it seems. We just planted the two yellow rose bushes we have this spring and they went from less than a foot in height to around 4+ feet. This area is truly the mecca of roses (thus Portland's moniker - the Rose City).

We'll spend the rainy winter watching Wendy's belly grow and counting the days/weeks/months until the arrival of our little one. The cool thing is that the biscuit will arrive with the spring and the next long stretch of blue skies and cool breezes. It seems fitting, don't you think?

- Karen

[8w,1d]