Puget Sound Post

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Posted by: PugetSoundPost, 7:23 AM GMT on June 04, 2012

June 12, 6:30 AM
Cloudy Skies, Rain on the Way, Probably

High overcast came in overnight, bringing a 50/50 threat of light rain today. More chances as the week goes on for the same. It is just about at the overnight low of 55, which is pretty warm for us. It feels rather humid right now. Yesterday was the most sunshine in awhile and it did reach 80, but I was indoors most of that time, looking at dishes and kitchen needs.

We MADE it through our BIG college graduation late week and weekend! It all turned out very nicely and was a special time for our family. The main huge commencement ceremony was outdoors Saturday afternoon in the stadium where our Seattle Seahawks play. We had never been there before. Rain was a threat, and being true northwesterners, we lugged rain gear along with us, but we NEVER needed it! :) The weather turned out just fine. It was partly cloudy, with a few sunbreaks, light wind, and no rain! The temperature was just about right. Not too hot, a light jacket felt about right, and not too cold either. So no sunburns and we stayed dry too. The ceremony was very nice and very efficiently executed, we saw our son many times and had wonderful seats. We did not see our soon-to-be SIL in the ceremony, however, causing much consternation from my daughter, as he was on the opposite side of the field from us, but some scanning photos we took in his general direction and then we zoomed in on the photos, brought delight when we found him in the crowd of grads. We had three days of graduation in a row for my son, plus a little family party afterward at home, then followed by a 21st birthday for another son on the weekend too. We now have cake up to the gills in the house, and I have joked we need to just have a "cake dinner" soon and finish it all up once and for all! But, good times for the family. Oh, lest I forget, the same day we did the birthday, we were moving my daughter home for the summer from college. Soon will be gone the days when she can do all of her moving in one trip of a VERY stuffed SUV but still manage to also stuff four people into the car as well, although super tightly. She is half way through nursing school now! For so long she was stressing and working so hard just to get into UW's program, and now it is half way finished. Time sure flies by, faster and faster.

Then back to wedding planning yesterday, with just a couple of days to zip around with my daughter this week, we were back to the mall for most of yesterday looking for registry items, and likely another run at it today.

June 7, 9:45 PM
Another Rainy Day

Resting in a chair this evening, after a quite busy day. And another rainy day at that. We added in another .55" rain into the bucket today and reached 63 degrees with the low of 48. It has been rather breezy too. Overall not a very good day, although there was some drying this afternoon.

I spent the day running from one thing to the next and covering a lot of ground. Organizing graduatons, a birthday, sitting in incredible traffic for too long, and getting my daughter in for a wedding dress fitting. Finished the day off by attending an awards program for my high schooler. Proud of her! But also missing a graduation event for my college grad. Dad and younger brother covered that one. He has two more grad events over the next two days, so I shall still have chances to see him! Wish the weather would improve.

June 5, 10:45 PM
What a Rainy Day!

Earlier today I saw this day and the recent run of gloomy weather referred to as "June-uary" and it was rather fitting. Wow! Did it ever rain today! So far today 1.00" of rain has fallen and it is currently 47 degrees. The high was 59, but something about that seems fishy. While driving around about all I saw for temperature was closer to 52 or so. I'll admit that is warmer than January, but it sure had the January "look". Very heavy and dark overcast all day, cool,and rain pretty much all day.

Because of this current situation we find ourselves in, there was NO WAY we would ever see the Venus Transit today. So, first the annular eclipse, and now this celestial event all washed away for us.

Another tire event today too. Another blown tire, on a different car, different driver, when another guy drove my son nearly off the road today in another nearby town, causing him to swerve to avoid the accident and go up onto a curb, blowing the tire. Of course, when he tried to change the tire he could not budge it to pull it off the car! After a series of events, the passage of much time, did we finally connect and have a AAA guy come and pound the tire off using a 2x4, while we stood out in especially soaking rain the whole time. Funny, but when I left home this morning to take my mom for groceries, I knew I wore the wrong coat (not meant for rain!), planning on the rain ending about then, which it did not! Little did I know that wrong coat choice was going to bite me before the day ended. All's well that ends well, but now tomorrow we must figure out how many tires to replace on this car! Not the way I was expecting to spend this week so far. Tomorrow is a busy day.

June 4

June is here, the traditional start to summer. This year it means "Transition" for my family. Weather-wise, this is our month, here in the Pacific Northwest, to make the hopefully full transition from spring to summer. It is still a work in process. The weather has been pleasant enough, but nothing too spectacular, and certainly not what we should be expecting in the next few weeks: summer. The temperatures have warmed so that even on cloudy days, which most have been lately, it is feeling like summer is only a few hilltops away, rather than several mountain ranges, which it was for so long. Spring blooms, such as rhododendrons and azaleas are starting to fade now, although they are far from gone. But the peak of their annual delightful show has passed and the blooms on many bushes are starting to look old and fading. Some of the later blooming bushes (it is kind of a rolling show, with some blooms showing in early spring, while others are the proverbial "late-bloomers") are still quite bright and showy. My potted flowers that I started about a month ago are beginning to muscle up and are looking nicely established and pretty. This is a delightful time of year - still the spring fresh look, but a bit more mature looking outside too. Green everywhere - the trees are a wall of green all over, green grass, and lots of fresh floral greenery. A calming landscape.

And other transitions are underway as well. At the end of this week my oldest son will go through Spring Commencement at University of Washington. That plus two different department ceremonies first will make a very busy graduation week. He actually finished school last December, but since all the ceremonies are only once a year, we are now finally closing this chapter in his life. Then, later this month, is our youngest child's high school graduation. She has had an amazing run with school since kindergarten and now is ready to launch away. I am clearly ready to "finish" high school, after four kids have traversed through, but there is that bit of bittersweetness to it as well, as this chapter closes for her and for us. And, to further the transitions, our oldest daughter's wedding is quickly approaching now, on Sept. 1. In a week or so, she will be moving back home for the last time, for summer, and the mad dash will be underway to complete the planning. So many other activities and events are happening too, not to mention a successful Prom last night, and I am imagining that June, and the rest of the summer, will spin by me, pretty well out-of-focus the entire time.

This particular week is the kick-off to everything mentioned. Each upcoming day is Full and the addition this evening of a flat tire as my youngest was coming home from work, now requiring a new set of tires to be purchased ASAP, is just throwing another unplanned spinning plate into the air. Ahhh. Time to fasten our seat belts.

Before I wrap this up, I will post some photos from our litle trip over Memorial Day weekend. Likely a rare opportunity to get out during this season. It was a wonderful outing, over to Central Washington, east of the Cascades - about a 2-2.5 hour drive from here. First to visit a Wind Farm that is pretty new. The wind knows how to blow over there, so a good placement. We were able to take a little tour, including a look up the tower of a turbine from inside the base. Then by chance we happened into a state park that we have passed many times before and never stopped at. It is a heritage site, preserving a 1875 farm. The evening light, gray, semi-threatening skies, all lent a wonderful feeling and quality to our wanderings around the place, nearly by ourselves.

These photos are from Olmstead State Park, near Ellensburg, WA, and also Wild Horse Wind Farm, a bit further east closer to the Columbia River. A few other photos are in the series posted on WU.

May in Review

Average High: 69
Average Low: 45
Highest Temperature: 82 (5/14)
Lowest Temperature: 37 (5/10)
Lowest High: 60 (5/3 and 5/22)
Warmest Night: 54 (5/31)
Wettest Day: May 21 (.60" rain)
Total Days of Measurable Rain: 17

Total Rain for May: 3.44"

*note: May was another month with two halves. The first half was distinctly nicer than the second half. Warmer, sunnier, drier. Then it suddenly changed to our more usual cloudier, cooler, wetter pattern, which is somewhat continuing into June. Also, we had more rain in May than we did in April.

June 4
Sunrise: 5:12 AM --- Sunset: 9:02 PM (PDT)
(gaining 1 min, 15 sec tomorrow)

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1. BriarCraft 5:00 PM GMT on June 05, 2012
Ha-hah! First! Poignant transition blog you've written here. You nicely tied together the seasonal transition with your life's transition. You're not quite empty nesters yet, as I expect the youngest will be attending college and, if not exactly at home all the time, will remain "in the nest" for a few years yet. Still, your babies all are technically adults now. Even though I am not a parent, I can empathize with the sense of bittersweetness you conveyed so well. Having already rated and commented on your day trip photos, you know how much I enjoyed your trek and particularly, your discovery of Olmstead farm and park. Now, I look forward to learning just how many plates you can juggle at once and for an extended period of time! Piece o' cake, right? Member Since: June 21, 2004 Posts: 50 Comments: 2511

2. PugetSoundPost 7:10 PM GMT on June 06, 2012
Hi Briar! More plates keep going up into the air, but so far so good! Yes, my youngest daughter is off to college - University of Washington- four in a row there! She will be living just off campus, so the nest will quiet down some (two boys still here). Good? Or not so good? Both. Member Since: October 8, 2001 Posts: 156 Comments: 614

3. JanesVacation 12:48 AM GMT on June 07, 2012
I love your beautiful pictures of the green landscapes with flowering plants and little cabins tucked in among the greenery. My favorite pictures are just these everyday beautiful sights in life. You are juggling so many important events.It should be a busy and wonderful summer with so much to look forward to in the coming weeks. I also ordered my dress for my daughter's wedding from Nordstorms. It was amazing - much better than anything I could find at Macys or other local stores. I'm sure you will look and feel beautiful. Tomorrow is my last official day of school - I don't have any classes on Fridays this year. The teachers are all having a potluck picnic on Friday noon to celebrate. The weather should cooperate. It has been a dry, blue sky week. Member Since: June 21, 2008 Posts: 259 Comments: 1257

4. JanesVacation 12:48 PM GMT on June 10, 2012
When will your temps warm up? WU shows 51 and overcast for you this morning. That is certainly not idea summer weather for all of your events! Have a great Sunday! Member Since: June 21, 2008 Posts: 259 Comments: 1257

5. polarbytes 2:46 PM GMT on June 10, 2012
Wow! you are a busy lady. Haven't checked in for awhile, but our news is nowhere as busy as yours. Congrats are in order for all of the kids accomplishments, I'm sure. sounds like your weather is a repeat of ours, just a little warmer. We have finally (fingers crossed) stopped freezing at night so I can get the flowers and the garden planted. June is usually the best month up here if you want sunshine, but so far only about one day in seven has yielded that. Hoping for some more sunny days this summer as we have relatives coming up several times through Aug. And our boys have been out of school for over three weeks, we ended on May 22. And thus far it's been for them, work and soccer, of course LOH>. The one boy's coach told him he might have a chance for a small school scolarship after next year so he is all into soccer camps and playing every chance he gets. Enjoy the weekend, and btw, great pics! Try to get some quality time for yourself, now, ok;> Member Since: February 10, 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 73

6. PugetSoundPost 1:56 PM GMT on June 12, 2012
Hi Jane! What most of the country would call "summer" has not even close-to arrived for us here. We are still battling a lot of cloudy days and recurrent rain and not-so-warm. Although yesterday did hit 80 when I wasn't home. The rest of this week looks to be a downturn. But, we are in the time of year that when the sun does make an appearance, it can warm up pretty quickly and be quite pleasant. I think people are getting a bit restless and wishing for more sun and consistently warmer weather, which honestly, we can't really expect until sometime in July. Anything sooner is a bonus. Nice to hear from you Polar! I am envious of your early finish to school! Our high schooler is STILL going to school! This is her last week of classes, finally, with graduation next Tuesday. She has some finals this week, so after all of our celebration over the weekend, it has seemed a bit cruel for her to still be at it. But soon it will end too. I'm glad you are improving, but I hear you on how slow it is, and when the window is so brief to begin with, each passing day with no sun or much warmth just closes the annual window just a bit more. I would imagine your relatives coming will enjoy their time there no matter what. Likely a very different place than where they are coming from? And, good for your son's soccer chances! Scholarships are wonderful, as you know, and I think even just the honor of getting merit based awards, and being deemed worthy for whatever reason, is a real nice accomplishment. Hard work does often pay off! Have your soccer fields melted off yet? Out of the canyons?! Member Since: October 8, 2001 Posts: 156 Comments: 614

7. polarbytes 12:52 PM GMT on June 14, 2012
A hearty well done to your daughter, I'm sure, and where she is bound for is also a sign of her accomplishments, UW has stringent entrance requirements. And, with a wedding in the near future your summer is only going to get busier, huh? But, hey, at least you get to be busy in one of the best places, (normally) imho, to enjoy summer, it will eventually come? right??? We are going to Fairbanks next month for a visit to one of the boy's choice of school, he wants to be a volcanologist and if they stay in state and have good grades, much of the cost is paid for, and a soccer camp, so we will get some sun and warm temps then. But so far June is a bust! We have had clouds and rain for a week now, but temps are fairly warm because of it, 50's in the day, 40's at night. Big weekend of community activities this sat and sun so hoping for sun; since you have been up here several times you can appreciate the title: Family fun in the midnight sun. Snow is all gone, except for where it was plowed up into big piles and is in the shadow, and one thing to be thankful for: don't have to water the plants! Have a great weekend, stay dry. Member Since: February 10, 2005 Posts: 0 Comments: 73

8. calpoppy 1:18 PM GMT on June 14, 2012
Wow, PSP! Your plate is overflowing!!! Congratulations all around!!! You can send some extra cake down to me! LOL! Member Since: February 18, 2008 Posts: 34 Comments: 2492

9. JanesVacation 1:46 PM GMT on June 16, 2012
Sounds like the dreary weather isn't putting the damper on your celebrations! Congrats to all of you on getting all of your kids through high school! What a fanatastic time of celebrations you seem to be having. I went to my nephew's graduation party and they didn't have a cake! I kind of missed it and thought maybe cake was going "out of style!" I wish I had a small piece right now with my morning coffee. :) We are leaving for Italy tomorrow from Chicago. I must say that I am very nervous since I am a true homebody and not really that much of an adventurous traveler. My idea of travel has always been to chase my daughter to wherever she is located - this is the first trip Steve and I have gone alone together on in our 32 year marriage. We honeymooned in Chicago, so that doesn't even count. I expect it will all turn out great. Hopefully!!?? Have fun at the mall. Shopping has been my favorite part of getting ready to leave on this vacation. TJ Maxx is my favorite place to shop for trendy tops and accessories at a great price. I found some cute stuff this spring and because I'll be in Europe...I don't really have to dress like a "teacher" like I do here in our small town. Found a cute, knit dress that makes me feel young! Ciao! Member Since: June 21, 2008 Posts: 259 Comments: 1257

10. BriarCraft 8:31 PM GMT on June 19, 2012
So far, it looks like you're doing well with your juggling act. Usually, it's hard to keep one's spirits up with all these gray days when it's supposed to be summer, but with all that you've got going on, I'm surprised you even notice what the weather's been doing. It looks like we've got a 2-day window of nice weather tomorrow and Thursday. My dry day To Do List is longer than I can possibly get done in just two days, so I'm prioritizing. I expect you've probably got to squeeze in a few yard activities into your busy schedule, too. No doubt the lawn needs mowing and weeds have managed to trespass into your flower beds, too. Member Since: June 21, 2004 Posts: 50 Comments: 2511

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About PugetSoundPost:

Weather has been a lifelong passion for me; while my husband and 4 kids all in college and beyond, one now married, have patiently gone along with me!

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