Back in Seattle after a month's idyll in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I am reminded why -- although there's no place like home -- there's also no place like home.
Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina view last Monday.
Seattle, Washington view this Monday.
A Seattle friend emails:
"I've been out in the rain. It was awful. I think I'd rather get wet while walking than get wet while bearing the futility of waiting for buses."
Shuddering at such pain, I recall this effort of mine to make Robert Frost rotate in his grave:
Acquainted with the Blight
I have been one acquainted with the blight.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain,
(And out in rain -- and back in rain,
And out in rain -- and back in rain,
And out in rain -- and .... you get the picture.)
I have been skinsoaked under every city light.
I have looked down every moss-choked city lane.
I have passed drowned dolphins on my lawn
And splashed them with galoshes unwilling to explain.
I have stood up to my kiester in the ceaseless plop of drops
When over head an scheduled cloud's deluge
Sloshed the houses with a mound of mist,
But not to call me back but slather me with slops;
And further still at an unearthly height
One more damned raincloud against the sky
Proclaimed Seattle was neither dry nor Right.
I have been one acquainted with the blight.
What's wrong with me?
Someone has labored to make that Seattle picture as yucky as can be managed, and when I look at it I get all...nostalgic. Must have lived there too long.
Posted by: Morgan K Freeberg at November 12, 2007 1:27 PMWell, you are one sick puppy, Freeberg. But we knew that.
The awful truth is that I actually cleaned that shot up to make it better than it was... as it was you could barely see across the street.
Posted by: Vanderleun at November 12, 2007 1:53 PMAs a child in Seattle I learned this little ditty:
Raining, raining, raining all day long.
Not a bird to start a single song.
Dripping down so wet from every tree.
There is too much rain, it seems to me.
All the frogs are croaking, skies are black.
All the ducks are saying "quack, quack, quack."
Raining, raining, raining, please explain,
how there can be so much rain, rain, rain.
How to forecast weather in Seattle.
If you can't see Mt. Rainier, it's raining.
If you can see Mt. Rainier, it's going to rain.
The next time you come to North Carolina bring some rain with you. We are in the worst drought in 75 years.
Posted by: ChiefTestPilot at November 13, 2007 2:37 AMA family joke (there's a bunch of redheads on my mother's side) runs: "Why are there so many redheads in Seattle? Rust!"
Posted by: B. Durbin at November 13, 2007 6:52 PMI thought it was illegal to display the US flag in Seattle.
Posted by: Jack Coupal at November 14, 2007 6:30 PM
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