The ultimate in heavy weather

I actually know that what I am about to write about is NOT really the ultimate in heavy weather. Actually, our weather here is quite mild. BUT IT IS SO BLOODY GREY! "What," you say, "someone is complaining about Seattle being grey? How simply over done!" But it has been a dreadful spring and now summer is here and it is STILL GREY! I am really not a fussy person, and, while I don't like rain anywhere near as much as my mother-in-law (who counts every day without rain as a drought), I really handle the weather pretty well most of the time. My main tool to cope is remembering my 10 years in Minnesota. Generally, anywhere where the range of temperatures is modestly less than -40 F/C to 100 F seems like temperate to me. And Seattle isn't even close - we swing probably from 22 F to 85 F. Mild, right?

But I grew up in the Midwest. In the Midwest, we have WEATHER. And summer means hot nights, violent thunderstorms, and the sweet smell of the air after the storm is over. Okay, I know it also means oppressive heat and high humidity, but it is summer after all. And the sun shines a lot. Here - well, it is the last day but one of June and the sun comes out for minutes now and then. In fact, it seems to shine the most at about 8 pm. Not exactly when you can enjoy it. And June 20th was the darkest day of the year. I mean that we got less solar energy than any other day. What part of the civilized world even knows that it has had the darkest day and darkest month?????

Sigh. Ready for summer.

The grass likes it though.