Seattle, One Year Later

[akirlu]

Actually, it's been more than a year since I moved up, but I just hit my one year anniversary at work.

The good news, after a full winter working in Seattle, is that the dark doesn't seem to get to me until January. October isn't that dark yet, November is full of the bright beauties of autumn, and December is full of Christmas. And by February, the sun is coming back -- I've been very conscious of how wonderful it is to have light skies before and after work. If I know I only have to endure one month, I can manage it. I'm guessing January must be the additional month that Amy refers to as The Month of Maui. Certainly, Maui seems to be the favorite retreat of the many Seattle snowbirds...er, slushbirds?...gloombirds?

And now that we're into March, spring has sprung in earnest. Crocus and daffs are up and blooming well, and an adventurous early Rhody has granted us the benediction of pink, frothy blossoms out in the car park. I must get over to the Quad on campus with the digital camera -- the cherry blossoms are legendary.

Meanwhile, I've got that other blessing of an early spring: my very own first virus of the year. Yay, me.

Comments

[athenais.livejournal.com]

Having grown up in the area I examine my memories and I cannot remember ever thinking the winters affected my mood. Would it be different now if I were to move back after twenty-two years in the Bay Area? Possibly. Still, I remember loving the grey, dark winters. I hated the messiness of spring (I wasn't a gardener then). Summers were good, and autumn didn't last nearly long enough.

I am very excited by the plants in my garden blooming here in our earlier spring. The crocus have come and gone, the daffodils are out, and the tulips are getting ready to push up some flowers among the foliage. The redbud and plum are flowering, the quince is over, and I can't wait to see the crabapple blossom.