Raincharm’s Weblog

As weekends go there is usually a bit here and a bit there, utilizing both days – and sometimes Friday evening.

This weekend was all packed into Saturday.
Yesterday was really two days. Sunny morning and afternoon. Rainy evening.

Ashlan & I played soccer in the late morning. Actually hot (70 degrees maybe).
And we managed to not bring sunscreen. You would understand this if you had been in Seattle this winter spring.
We won, I pulled a glut, but Ashlan played really well.

Carl had a late afternoon baseball game. He took off his cast and pitched three innings.
He is trying to figure out what damage this may have done. (He did have doctor’s clearance to try.)
They lost, but it was good for him to get back in the game.

The start of the evening was all about the Seattle Sounders (soccer).
They were playing the Portland Timbers here in Seattle.
Portland and Seattle have a rivalry in soccer going back many years.
Now it has moved to the Major League level, with this being Portland’s first year in the league.

Carl & I went to the game, and once again got to sit in front of the front row, in empty handicapped seats.
Of course, Carl did have his cast back on, so it looked like we even belonged there.
Ashlan and her three friends down from Canada watched the game at the Rat & Raven.
(It was the ESPN game so it was not viewable at our domicile.)
The biggest difference between the two viewing differences was … level of dampness. (This is an understatement)

There were obviously many differences.
Proximity to the action, the live atmosphere, seeing it all instead of what is shown by the camera.

Ashlan and her friends walked the five blocks from home to the bar.
It was raining, so they got a bit damp.
Carl & I spent about two hours in the open.
And it POURED.
Not in waves.
POURING HARD THE ENTIRE TIME.
At one point the drops got noticeably larger.

Luckily it was not all that cold. Mid-50s.
So we were just wet, completely.
We had our ponchos, but in the end we were sitting.
The rain would run down the back of my poncho to the seat – which then got wet.
You could wring out the scarves and get puddles (on top of the puddles already there).

When we got to the car we took off the wet outer layer, at least what we could without getting arrested.
When we got home we took the wet outer layer and the wet under layers to the basement, took off the rest and draped anything that would accept and survive wet clothing.

We had a good time, despite the rain.
Sounders and Timbers tied 1-1.
We felt the Sounders controlled the first half, but the Timbers controlled the second.

Comic relief for the evening took place on the walk from the stadium to the car.
There is an event center attached to the stadium and there was an event in progress (or getting ready to start).
A rather large crowd of high school or college aged kids were gathered outside of the location.
It appeared to be in progress, but I am assuming the crowd outside was expecting to get in.

The attire was the comical part.
Girls in outfits that included a limited amount of coverage.
Very short skirts (and in one case bikini (or less) underwear, with garter and stockings) and low cut glitzy tops, frequently with cropped tops.
Oh, and several with bunny ears.
Boys in baggy jeans and t-shirts.
Now there were some boys that had “outfits” as well, but just not too many – and ALL of the girls did.

So I had to know what they were there to attend.
Beyond Wonderland Seattle
A USC Event. (USC? Certainly not the college)
In checking the web-page for the event, it indicates you had to be 18 to attend.
Maybe that was why there were so many outside.
It links itself to Alice in Wonderland – which sort of explains the bunny ears, and the top hats.

I am not sure why the lack of clothing was necessary, but I checked their facebook link and one post said,
“I must have missed the memo about underwear now counting as clothing. Lol”
And none of them were wearing ponchos.

Today has dawned, it is still raining and, after a breakfast conversation and noshing, the kids have departed for Canada once again. The house is quieter, and the newspaper is calling my name.

It has been quite a week for us.
The house (interior) shows the impact of a week of coming in, off-loading, sleeping and on to the next thing. Note that picking up was not in the list.

Today was going to be pick-up day. Our architect-friend-neighbor was going to come over and discuss some ideas for the house. But it turns out that FEMA has requested his presence in Mississippi to assist in ideas for putting the pieces back together again. So his visit will wait a week. Today should still be pick-up day, but not with the same haste attached to it.

Now for highlights from the past week.

Wednesday – Debut of the Ichiro’s Bleacheros. (See previous post for that story.) It kind of took on a life of its own for a day.

Thursday – We ditched the Mariners for the Seattle Art Museum and Nick Cave’s March to the Center of the Earth. [Getting Ready]

Our part of the procession included costumed folks = Carl, Jay, Jet, Lillian, Eve, Angela and Sue (Angela’s Mom). Non-costumed are Ashlan and Lillian & Eve’s parents. (Look after about 1:45 in the vide0 )

Friday – Back to the Mariners. This game was well attended (Friday + Ichiro Bobblehead). A close game, and the Mariner’s won with a walk-off single. The more exciting play was a run-down on a fielder’s choice in the 8th inning, which really kept the game close (tied at the time). I had almost bagged out of this game because I was tired from the previous days’ activities. However, the threat of sleeping in this morning gave me the added lift to keep going.

And so the weekend is underway.
No Mariners tonight – Carl has a game himself.
Tomorrow – Plans for Mariners, soccer and … Mother’s Day.
I think my present will be that Ashlan is at the soccer game, and I get to rest a bit.

Ashlan’s 2010 Birthday present to Carl just keeps on giving,

Peggy Sue-Carl, Marilyn-Dan, Inga-Mark & Kevin the Witch

And giving – check out this somewhat more professional blog. By a real writer no less.

 The game started with a shot on the big screen (so we were told), then a notice on the TV broadcast (screen shot a friend sent to Ashlan – above), then Angie from Root Sports showed up and interviewed Carl, in full wig.

Of course, we did not see any of the on-air stuff, so don’t really know how it played. But when we got back home there was an e-mail from one of Carl’s baseball teammates who recognized Carl Peggy-Sue under all that hair.

It is a day for tutus. But we didn’t think of that far enough in advance to procure one for the birthday girl.

Later today – well let’s just say we have a trip to the phone store planned. (Our first present is allowing her to sleep in.) More later.

Later – Phone store – done.
We are Ashlan is now the proud owner of a Droid.
She is playing around with it as we all chill for a few minutes.
Next step on the Birthday tour is to go out to dinner.

Nobody really wants to cook tonight, all are a bit tired.

Beautiful day today. Sunny, and essentially warm.
If you were out working in the yard it was hot.
If you were just hanging about, you would want a sweater.

Carl & I took the work in the yard to heart.
After all, it is supposed to start raining again tomorrow, so the opportunity must be grabbed.
I started weeding, but ended up mowing. (Actually, I went out to mow, but started by picking up blue spruce cones, digging out a few mushrooms, and then a few dandelions. And then I started to attack dandelion row along the border of the lawn. Then Carl arrived home.

I know myself well enough to know I was not going to have the fortitude to really weed, plus mow, so I asked him to mow. Well – he weeded, I mowed. I think in the end he did alot more work. (But then, I had to go buy a phone.)

While we were working a crow joined us. First he was sitting on a fir branch, pecking at the bark. I noticed that the bark was looking a little ragged, and in some places fairly bare. I think this crow has decided our fir tree is a good source of nesting material. I stopped to watch him, and he watched me back. He moved to the blue spruce after a bit, and I went back to mowing. He continued to watch and talk about us at length. I started to wonder if I should get a helmet, but he never made a move to dive at either of us.

Eventually I moved to the front yard.
And so did the crow.
He was sitting on a wire talking at me.
Again I wondered whether I should be worried at all.
I actually thought, “What else could he do but dive-bomb me?”
And the answer – POOP – appeared in my brain.
I hesitated, looked up at him, and he let loose.

If I had not paused I think I would have been right in his target zone.

Time to pick a restaurant, and go get some food.

We are now a house of three again.
Until Monday, when we will be a house of five, ever so briefly.
And of course that does not count the daily entrance of tiny feet.

Four people, a Ford Expedition (year unknown) a Toyota Prius, and the bottom support of a papasan on top of the Ford. The border crossing was surprisingly easy. We were not sure with Lisa & I in a big vehicle, loaded with stuff, and no student to back up the moving story in sight. Apparently the Border Guard told Ashlan she had better put her father’s hard earned money to good effect. And we are back to Seattle, with everything out of the car – before 5 PM. Now everything is far from put away, but it is out of the weather.

And speaking of weather. We could have been trying, failing, trying, changing and finally succeeding getting things into the vehicles in the pouring rain. But that did not happen. We had sun (mostly).

Many thanks to the lovely Lisa, owner of the Ford, driver and stronger lifter than I.

We are all tired, happy and 3/4 of a family together again.
At least for a month.

And since we are all tired, two of us are going to a soccer game tonight.
These games are extremely well attended, lots of fun – and you stand for the entire 90 minutes.
Hopefully we will be able to pull that off as well as the move home.

Sometimes it pays to know a few people. We know (work with) one of the ushers at Qwest Field (Sounder game). When we arrived I told him how tired I was, and if any of the handicapped accessible seats  in FRONT of the front row were available, I was interested. Well, about 30 minutes into the game he said that there were 2 to be had, and Ashlan and I were welcome to them. WOW – Not only could we SIT, the game just popped. Faces and expressions. It was great. And we got to see two goals right in front of us. (The seats are at the 18 yard line – top of the box for soccer fans.) And I got to SIT. (If you sit in our regular seats you will not see much of the game.)

And congratulations to Ashlan for getting out of college in 4 years. (Most of her classmates are hanging on.)

And note the first attempt at HTML in the header. Old hat for most of you, but not something I have been privy to. I was (in a short time) trying to make the “UPDATE” in the header be italics and green, like the update in the blog body – where you can just pick from the menu. So I switched to HTML view and tried to copy what I saw below. Only, the color bit won’t stick. Oh well, not bad for a minutes worth of learning.

Still a hint of chill in the air.
Well more than a hint.
But we did not receive any of the lowland snow, and it has been sunny here and there today.
I just took out the compost, still to cold to really be comfortable without proper outer clothing.

I keep thinking that the next week will be the week it warms up.
But that week just keeps getting pushed out further.
Now I have lowered my goals to not having a deluge on Saturday when we move Ashlan south.

That said, I will take our cold rain over the storms that have plagued the rest of the country.
I noted that the swarm of tornadoes in the southeast did hit Tennessee, but since we have not heard from the boy, I am assuming they were further south than he.

The days all seem to be getting ready for what is happening next. And starting Saturday it seems that a lot will be happening. Hopefully some of it will invite a more interesting post.

I would ask Ashlan to do an end of college guest post, but I think she is too busy living that experience.

And hopefully, PACKING! (Just in case she checks in.)

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We no longer have any kids in school!

Well, so one is still at school, but there are no more classes to attend or tests to take. Only graduation.

For now anyway.
Should I feel different somehow?

Just in case you ever start to feel disconnected.

I was chatting (on a cell-phone) with the boy this evening.
He related this basic story.
He was enjoying relative dryness as thunderstorms passed in the not to distant area.
Warm outside he was reading a book.
        The dusk was arriving, so reading outside was no longer an option.
                Going inside he went to turn on a light, only to realize the light was already turned on.
                 Except there was not light.

No power. Apparently those thunderstorms were doing their job, just a bit distant.

• So – no reading inside.
• No internet
• Certainly no TV (although this is not a power problem)
• And the cell phone battery is dying.
• And so did the conversation.

Other than that I found out that he ate especially well on Easter. Twice.
And – for Ashlan – he now has a dresser.

And for us, we have a sink that now drains. Quickly.

This is a Mariner’s game (of course).

Did I mention that it got up to OVER 60 DEGREES today!
Definitely the warmest day this year. (Unfortunately I spent most of the warm afternoon working.) But here at the start of the game it is warm, and we have expectations that we could even win. Scored first.

And then the sun went down (almost). The sun was not shining into the stadium any longer, but it was shining through the stadium. Third inning I believe. We may have been tied at this point.

And then the chill arrived. I don’t know how cold it really got, but I was cold. It was not anywhere near as cold as the games over the last week. But we had no rain, and more importantly no wind. (Sorry about the bluryness. Maybe Carl was shivering.)

The Mariner’s lost. 9-1.

Carl held up pretty well. He had all his ducks in a row.

And a frog.

In other less exciting news – the kitchen sink is clogged.
We did manage to find a snake, and tomorrow we plan to use it.
We will get one of the smaller sewer rats and put it down the side sewer, and then release the snake. Then the snake will smell a rat and work it’s way through the clog to reach its dinner.

And the sun continues to rise every morning (we are fairly sure).

Usually I report when I first see the snowflake icon on my car dashboard, letting me know it is cold outside. This is October-December. This is appropriate and the heralding of winter.

I saw the icon yesterday. This morning it is snowing again nearby. Not at our house. Possibly at work (not there yet).

I know others are also reporting snow, but they are in the north country – and it is almost appropriate there. This is a Mediterranean Climate area. We should have had more than one day above 60 degrees by now. I have been to a handful of baseball games, and have worn my long underwear and big outer jacket (over the fleece lined spring/fall jacket).

I remember hunting eggs in the yard in the sun and in the rain. Never in the snow.
It is time for Alaska to hold its breath, and quit sending the cold wind south.