Overheard at... Starbucks

"I hate the rain."

We had snow yesterday... it was fun and exciting (and a royal pain), but today we are back to rain. Really, for those of you who don't live in the Pacific Northwest, this is what we get.... rain, gray, rain, rain, rain; all the way past July 4th. This is not simply a myth to keep people from moving here. This is our weather.

Yesterday my daughter's homework included an assignment to interview her family and find out more about how, when and why we came to live in this place. The how and when were easy, but it took some discussion to finally get underneat the why; and even still I am not sure we fleshed out the full answer.

If you've read Betting Jessica you know it is set in Boston.... and I have mentioned in other blogs that we were living there when I wrote it. We moved to Portland in 2005; partly for job, but mainly for lifestyle. And, though I might complain about the dreariness of winter here, one aspect of that lifestyle was the natural beauty of the place.... a direct result of that dratted rain.

Not long ago I was talking about the weather with a friend of mine who moved here from Mexico. She said that to her and her family, the rain is beautiful. It only brings happy feelings, since when she was growing up the entire town would celebrate when it rained. Rain meant food and growth and green, all good things in her mind and so it was difficult for her to understand how people here can complain about it. It made her want to go outside and dance, like when she was a child.

As I am sure you have heard, this year, the horn of Africa has experienced the worst drought, and famine, in over 60 years. It has taken 50,000 to 100,000 lives already and continues to put hundreds of thousands at risk. Our climate is changing... and what we take for granted in the PNW others are literally dying for. If you would like to learn more about what can be done to help countries adapt to an increasingly limited supply of water check out: http://www.brac.net/content/about-brac-agriculture-food-security or for disaster relief: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43841708/ns/nightly_news/t/famine-horn-africa-how-help/

It is a little cold to go out and do a dance in the rain today, but I do plan to simply cuddle up with my warm drink at Starbucks. I want to look out at the wet, dripping sky and appreciate, for a few moments, all that I have.