It’s Saturday, and like a lot of people in the Northwest I’m spending the day prepping for Stormageddon, A huge weather front is supposed to be hitting the Seattle area any time now, bringing with it a good amount of rain and high winds. Rain is kind of our jam here, but heavy wind is a big problem as it has a tendency to knock down trees, making them fall down on power lines and take out the electricity. According to the forecast, tonight’s storm has the makings of the biggest in over a decade in our area, with the biggest saving grace being that it is supposed to move through fairly quickly.
I’ve spent the day doing all the power-dependent stuff that makes our household function: doing laundry, charging phones, cooking up food so it won’t go bad if our electricity goes out and stays out. Bill ran the vacuum and cleaned up the apartment so we won’t inadvertently trip over something and kill ourselves if we’re reduced to using flashlights and candles to see in the dark. I bought a bunch of non-perishable food so that we won’t starve if we can’t use our stove or microwave (I’m hoping we don’t need it and I can just donate it all to the food bank next week).  Since I work for the power company, I’m on call, and am really hoping we don’t lose our power here because as long as my lights (and my Internet) stay on I can remain in my cozy home and not venture out into the storm to help out at work. Depending on the severity of the power outages, the next few days could be long ones as we all band together and try to keep our customers in the know about our restoration efforts.
It makes me so happy to see all the nice comments on social media from people who thank the linemen for the work they do, and all the well-wishes as they encourage all employees to stay safe. I definitely know that going without power can be a huge inconvenience, and it’s reassuring to see so many people who are more concerned with the safety of their fellow humans than put out that they may not be able to watch Netflix for a day or so.
The good news is that so far, it’s relatively quiet outside and I’m feeling good about our level of preparedness in this situation. I’ll be happy to get through tonight so that one way or another, I know what the next few days are going to look like.
 

I unintentionally went MIA there for a couple of weeks…things have been rather unremarkable lately, and so anytime I would pull up a new page to start a post, I’d stare at that blinking little cursor and sort of draw a blank. But I’m back now, because the cure for writer’s block is to write, yes?

It’s October now and I couldn’t be happier for it. Autumn in the Pacific Northwest is simply glorious. I love the crisp, cold air in the mornings, the changing colors of the leaves, the way I’m now craving hot tea instead of iced. Although I do love summer, I think fall is my very favorite season.
Last weekend I pulled my sweaters out of storage and rehung them in my closet. Time to pack away the summer clothes, I won’t be needing THOSE for awhile! I’m happy to be able to wear leggings and oversize sweaters, scarves and cozy vests. I packed away some of my lighter sundresses, but kept out a few because I can wear them with boots and cardigans in the fall.
Although October seems to have morphed into the season for All Things Pumpkin Spice, I’m really not a pumpkin spice fan (I do like pumpkin pie, and the pumpkin-scented Yankee candle, but not pumpkin SPICE), so my go-to “fall” drink at Starbucks is a chai tea latte made with almond milk. It’s SO good! I definitely recommend it over the high-calorie Pumpkin Spice Latte.
October is also the month in which I celebrate two very special anniversaries – more on those later!
And of course, Halloween is in October, and I absolutely adore Halloween. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow my love of dressing up in a great costume. I also really like scary movies, and during the month of October I can re-watch my favorites!
I think it’s going to be a great month!