Goodbye Summer -- here comes the long dark

It's raining, and the forecast says it may do this all week.  You'd think the whole 'living in Seattle' thing would not make this a sad thing, but it is.  It is a mixed feeling this year however, so that is an improvement.  Summer is over and now we have the slow decent into cold, dark, and dreary.

I spent most of my adult life in San Diego, and it just doesn't rain much down there.  I was concerned moving up to Seattle that the long dark winters would be detrimental to my mental well being.  I've made it through three of them so far, and while they're not easy I can deal.  I do mourn a bit in September every year.

See there is nothing more amazing than Summer in Washington.  It doesn't get too hot (though hotter than it used to, I insist on AC), the days are gloriously long, maybe 8 hours of darkness, it is amazing.  The summers are why I've decided to buy in WA.  But something that amazing must be paid for, and oh do we.

Our winters are relatively mild, snow is rare (first winter I was here didn't didn't even snow once), while it gets cold it doesn't get *cold*.  I went to college in Utah and grew up in New England, I know cold,  it doesn't get that cold here.  But we are lucky to get 8 hours of daylight, it's overcast for a good majority of the time and it is just depressing.

So I sit here on my houseboat listening to the rain.  I think this winter will be at least a little bit different.  Being on the water will make storms much more exciting, and it will probably be a bit colder, but the sound of rain on the boat is very soothing.  Sitting on my couch with my dog listening to the rain is something that I have found I enjoy. 

I need an oil heater, I'll dig out my winter clothes and the fuzzy socks will get used.  Heating the boat will be interesting but I think I can deal.  Getting things from the car to the boat might be a challenge, but I have a cart and I'm already getting groceries from Instacart so I think I'll be ok.  I am going to need to decide what to do with the plants (and make sure that any I bring inside are not harboring spiders) and bring in the ones that won't make it through the winter along with securing the ones that can't come inside, Mr Japanese Maple I am looking at you.

So I will begin my winterization of the houseboat, try to finish unpacking and getting everything ready for the long dark.  But tonight I will listen to the rain on the roof and mourn the long warm days of summer.