So Move Already!

So, I was putting my son on the school bus this morning and his bus driver starts complaining about how she had heard that the rains were supposed to start up again in the next day or so and she was going to really miss the sun. I limited my reply to simply commenting that I like the rain, but I wanted to say so much more!

This is one of my pet peeves. I live in  Western Washington State near the Southern most point of Puget Sound and anyone who knows anything about the region can tell you that it rains a lot here. In fact even people who really don't know anything about the region know that Seattle, WA (which is the largest city in the state and technically in the same region as me though it's located a few hours drive North of my town) is known for coffee, grunge music, LOTS OF RAIN. Knowing this, why is it that every time I turn around someone is complaining about the rain here.  Seriously?

If you don't like the rain, why do you live in a state where rain is the norm? This is the birth place of the term "sun break" which was specifically coined because the sun coming out happens so rarely. We have rain or at least unbroken cloud cover almost continuously throughout the year- More than 2/3 of the year we get no more than a diffuse, dull sunlight that barely filters through the clouds, and, quite frankly, I like it that way! The constant rain is the reason that we have a temperate rain forest here and the reason that we have so much green in our landscapes- it makes this area the beautiful place that it is! It helps to keep our climate mild, reduces the opportunities for the  folks around here to gets the sunburns that increase the chances of skin cancer and allow us to maintain a wide range of plant and animal life here.

Sure sometimes the constant grey can be a bit depressing, but that's what vacations are for! And whenever I go visit my cousin in Southern California or my sister in Nevada, it never takes long for me to soak up more sun and heat than I want and to realize how awesome this area really is. Occasional sunshine is a nice change, but I wouldn't want it to be the norm. Let it Rain! and if you don't like it, please don't complain to me- try looking for somewhere less rainy to move to instead- then we can both be happy!