2012
Mar 1: We had our coldest night of the winter 3 days ago and woke up this morning to snowfall. But it was gone by 9AM and the sun came out at 11AM. I am going out on a limb and declaring today to be the first day of spring. Making such decrees is good for the wintery soul.
2011
Nov 19: Record rainfall for this date: over 2.5", breaking 1962 Seattle record. The pond has added several inches of depth.
Jul 13: Thunderstorms today. High for the year is 75°. Beware, this month, Friday the thirteenth falls on Friday.
Jul 13: Thunderstorms today. High for the year is 75°. Beware, this month, Friday the thirteenth falls on Friday.
Jul 7: Ran with Dori in a 5K race. 40.02.
Mar 22: Temperature got to 53F today, so replaced a flat on my bike and took it for a short spin. Whee. Mar 1: We had our coldest night of the winter 3 days ago and woke up this morning to snowfall. But it was gone by 9AM and the sun came out at 11AM. I am going out on a limb and declaring today to be the first day of spring. Making such decrees is good for the wintery soul.
2011
Dec 16: Based on our 3-year experience here, it's unseasonably warm with highs mid-40s and lows mid-30s and frequent light rains. In this, my 70th autumn, I have been re-acquainting myself with regular road work. My running rate is increasing and my weight is decreasing (helped by eating less). I began running at ~5 km/h (a typical walking rate for a fit young adult) and am now up to ~7km/h. For reference, 30 years ago I would run a 10K in under an hour.
Nov 30: We were just notified (e-mail subscription) of a burn ban effective this evening until further notice. Anyone with a wood-burning fireplace should be subscribed for such messages in these parts. Luckily we had already enjoyed our first fire of the season.Oct 17: Forecast hi and low today: 54/40. It's a sunny fall day. At grandkids' soccer games yesterday, Sydney's team tied and Jordan's won its first game of the season. It's a neighborhood soccer league, not AYSO. The 1st graders played on about a 1/6 field of soft artificial turf. Only four players are active on each team, which seems a friendlier concept than the AYSO activities I recall from yore. All the kids are involved on offense and defense.
September 15: Our year's high temp was 81°F. Only 14 days this year were warmer than 75°F, making it one of the coolest years on record. The tomatoes will not ripen fully.
July 20: Our peak summer season ends in about three weeks, likely without much sun and never getting much out of the 70s. Seems like SoCal is 90% summer and North Puget Sound is 90% early spring. One needs to get away from the west coast marine influence to experience a full four seasons of weather.
July 5: This week it was confirmed that a brown bear was sighted last fall in the South Unit of North Cascades National Park, about 80 miles from us. This is the first official sighting in the Park in 15 years, although experts believe there could be as many as 20 of the species there.
A new wolf pack is establishing itself about 80 miles southeast of us on the east slope of the Cascades. This is good news, because the established pack in the Methow Valley 80 miles northeast of there is believed to have been entirely wiped out by rancher/poachers.
June 11: A first spotting of a Wilson's warbler in our willow tree.
June 6: A yearling black bear was killed just 5mi. from our house.The poor critter was lost and confused, and the police got to it before animal control could rescue it. June is when the mothers chase away the 1 1/2 year old cubs and the males in particular are forced to find new territory. Observed a murder of crows this morning drive a hawk from the sky into some bushes. Then the crows perched all over the bushes, indicating to the hawk that its torment was not over.
May 13: Debby spotted a cougar in our back yard today, walking along the edge of our marshy area. We have three squirrels that like to clean up under the bird seed feeder. Maybe the big cat was attracted by them.
May 1: Seattle logged the coldest April on record (since 1891), with average high temperature of 52.2 F, nearly a half degree colder than 1917 and 1970, the prior records. It was also the 4th wettest April in that span, nearly doubling the average.
April 18: A UW atmospheric scientist noted that since Feb 1 of this year, there have been 2 days in Seattle that reached 55 degrees. Last year at this time there had already been 26 such days. This has been the coldest April on record in Seattle (on average about 5 degrees colder).
March 17: Seven beavers turned up as road kill on a local highway. Heavy rain had apparently washed out their pond on a local creek and they decided to move on.
Feb 24: Boeing won AF tanker contract. It will build the new planes on its 767 production line here in Everett. The new business should help to stabilize property values here and keep Snohomish County in the black.
Jan 28: Debby and I took our first training session to become volunteer senior peer counselors for a County mental health program.
Jan 4: Debby hosted 12 women of the local Newcomers Group in a book club meeting to discuss The Help.
Jan 3: Stanford (12-1) 40, Va. Tech (11-3, ACC Champ.) 12
1/1/11: 2011 is prime. Happy New Year!
1/1/11: Neighbors invited us over to watch a coyote in their back yard finishing off a kill. They had watched it off and on for hours. (Postmortem: Turns out the kill was the next door neighbor's cat.)
2010
Dec 30: First burn ban of year called for county. Enjoyed one last fire before the 5PM ban.
Dec 28: Computer disk statistics
Dec 13: Sunny morning, then more rain. Stillaguamish River at all-time high flood stage.
Dec 12: Constant rain and warm. It's the `pineapple express' and the creek is arising.
Dec 10: Grandparent's Day at the twins' school.
Dec 8: Last night of Hanukkah spent with Dori and family.
Dec 7: Debby off to San Antonio
Dec 5: Hanukkah celebration and dinner for local family.
Dec 4: Stanford projected to meet Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Dec 3: Under-cabinet lighting installed in kitchen.
Dec 2: Low 40s and sunny. Enjoyed 2nd fire in fireplace, but an ember flew out and burned small hole in the carpet. Now I get to patch it.
Dec 1: High 30s and sunny. Unloaded the firewood from the car and stacked it, about 3/16 cord. New gas valve and log igniter installed in fireplace. Enjoyed first fire in new house.
Nov 30: High 30s and drizzle. Lunch with the Brown's; picked up a carload of firewood from Dan's woodshed. North Cascades Hwy closed for year in anticipation of 2 feet of new snow.
Nov 29: Nothing local of import. Overcast and mid 30s. Typical late fall day for the north sound.
Nov 28: Stanford football #4 in BCS standings after 38-0 blanking of OSU.
Nov 25: Happy Thanksgiving to all. We're headed off to feast with family.
Nov 24: low temp 10°F, near historic chill for these parts; reportedly the largest pre-Thanksgiving snow accumulation in last 25 years
Dec 28: Computer disk statistics
space 770GB
folders 333,505
files 1,594,143
Buried by bits!
Dec 22: A pair of varied thrushes and a pair of northern flickers foraged in our back yard at the same time. Anna's hummingbirds are wintering over in our yard.
Dec 20: First solstice lunar eclipse in 372 years. Unfortunately, the clouds refused to hold off, so only hazy views from here.Dec 13: Sunny morning, then more rain. Stillaguamish River at all-time high flood stage.
Dec 12: Constant rain and warm. It's the `pineapple express' and the creek is arising.
Dec 10: Grandparent's Day at the twins' school.
Dec 8: Last night of Hanukkah spent with Dori and family.
Dec 7: Debby off to San Antonio
Dec 5: Hanukkah celebration and dinner for local family.
Dec 4: Stanford projected to meet Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Dec 3: Under-cabinet lighting installed in kitchen.
Dec 2: Low 40s and sunny. Enjoyed 2nd fire in fireplace, but an ember flew out and burned small hole in the carpet. Now I get to patch it.
Dec 1: High 30s and sunny. Unloaded the firewood from the car and stacked it, about 3/16 cord. New gas valve and log igniter installed in fireplace. Enjoyed first fire in new house.
Nov 30: High 30s and drizzle. Lunch with the Brown's; picked up a carload of firewood from Dan's woodshed. North Cascades Hwy closed for year in anticipation of 2 feet of new snow.
Nov 29: Nothing local of import. Overcast and mid 30s. Typical late fall day for the north sound.
Nov 28: Stanford football #4 in BCS standings after 38-0 blanking of OSU.
Nov 25: Happy Thanksgiving to all. We're headed off to feast with family.
Nov 24: low temp 10°F, near historic chill for these parts; reportedly the largest pre-Thanksgiving snow accumulation in last 25 years
Nov 23: high temp 24°, very rare chill for these parts; 3" snow on ground
Nov 21: 1st snow
Nov 20: Stanford 48 Cal 14; Stanford 10-1
Nov 14: Up on Facebook
Nov 10: 2nd fall frost
Nov 8: AP declares local incumbent congressman victorious, turning the WA US House delegation blue.
Nov 6: Mukilteo Kamiak High School chosen as one of 24 in US to compete in MIT-NASA robotics space competition.
Nov 5: New kitchen counters (Caesarstone Raven), stainless sink, faucet, and gas cooktop installed. Pizzazo!
Nov 3: Washington seems to remain a blue state by a thin margin.
Oct 25: Mountain pass snow; snow tire studs approved a week ahead of normal.
Oct 19: First fall frost
