Part of the adjustment to living in this new place is learning the cycles of the weather. Winter around here doesn’t arrive with snow and heavy frost. Rather its coming is marked by increased rain and lots of wind. The forecasters are saying we could see a few snowflakes overnight, but the thing you have to keep you eyes on is rain. We were among the estimated 80.000 customers of Puget Sound Energy who had power outages on Friday night. It was very brief at our house, just a couple of minutes. It got us practiced for last night, when we had to set our clocks as we fall back at the end of Daylight Savings Time. Let’s see, there is a clock in the microwave and another on the stove. There is a digital alarm clock upstairs. Our phones and watches and computers will set to standard time automatically. The antique clock didn’t need any action with the power failure, but the easy way to fall back was to stop the pendulum for an hour and then reset the clock. It all went smoothly. We’re set.

Actually an extra hour is appreciated at our household. Yesterday was a busy day. We were at the church early in the morning to prepare for a climate summit. Our church’s 2022 all church read is “Climate Church, Climate World,” by Jim Antal. Early in the year, we invited the author to come to our community for an open conversation with the public on Saturday and to preach at our church on Sunday. Early last summer, we decided that problems with transportation, the high carbon cost of flying, and the unknown nature of the Covid pandemic warranted a switch from an in person visit to a digital event. Yesterday’s summit was hybrid, with around 70 persons participating in person and others joining online. Our keynote presenter was on the big screen, presenting from his home in New England. We had in person panelists at the church. The event was a success and people were talking and networking over refreshments afterwards.

In the afternoon my sister arrived for a brief visit. Her dog, who always enjoys the visits, was glad to get out of the car, but settled into life in our home quickly. He has been here before and he knows the routine. Our son and his four children arrived for a supper of pizza and apples and fun with the dog. After they left for their home and Saturday night showers and baths, we settled in by the fire to talk a bit. It was nice to know that we had an extra hour before getting up this morning for another busy day.

The thing about the weather around here is that it isn’t very severe. That storm that brought down power lines land sent utility crews scrambling on Friday night had winds up to 50 mph. That’s nothing. My home town in Montana sees winds doubled that. And then when it snows, the snow will melt before the end of the day. We don’t get accumulations around here. It really doesn’t feel like winter felt in the other places we have lived. On the other hand, the people here live as if there was severe weather. We get power failures when the wind blows and the school declares snow days when it snows even though it seems like it is pretty easy to get around.

Rain, however, is nothing to mess with. We are learning about rain and what happens. The rivers are already running high around here. When another atmospheric river arrives today, the combination of heavy snow in the mountains and lots of rain here is likely to cause flooding. This particular storm probably won’t result in much flooding, but we know from last year’s conditions that November can be a wet time. There was a lot of flooding in the county last November and the newspapers are all running articles with the obvious: don’t drive into flooded areas, don’t go around barricades, be aware of flooding conditions. Last winter there were floods that closed the Interstate highway for a while and mudslides caused damage in the nearby mountains. The Nooksack River left its banks and there was flooding in the city of Bellingham as well as in other area towns. We know that we could see high water again this month.

Fortunately, our home is on high ground and we can get into town or over to our son’s farm without having to cross any areas prone to flooding. Besides, we spend enough winters in South Dakota that we are stocked up with groceries and other essentials. I we need to, we can easily stay home for a few days while things get sorted out.

One thing that can’t seem to get sorted out is Daylight Savings Time. For a while it looked like the US congress would enact permanent Daylight Savings Time act that would mean that when we spring ahead next spring it would be the last time we had to reset our clocks. However, the bill is stalled in the US House of Representatives where everyone has their attention focused on the midterm elections, so it seems unlikely that they will get around to making the change in time. For now we’ll have to remember to set clocks.

That reminds me that I have clocks to set in the car and pickup. Unlike the previous generation of vehicles where I had to get out the owner’s manuals each time I had to set the clocks, these vehicles have clocks that are very easy to set. Armed with an extra hour of sleep, I should have no problems with that chore.

So, I guess we are ready for winter, or whatever weather comes our way. I won’t be needing my heavy parka, but I’ve got my raincoat and even a pair of rain pants ready. My muck boots are in the garage just in case I need to help out in the mud at the farm.

We’ve got this.