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Signs of Winter
12/19/2002
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton from the Mount Washington Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook.
For me, the true sign of winter is when the snow finally sticks to the ground. For
commentator David Laskin of Seattle, WA, it's the misty rains that get him in the winter
mood.
DL: I once read somewhere that Pacific Northwest natives marked the onset of the rainy season
by blowing whistles to greet the spirits that drifted like mist through the immense black
conifers. As the rains began again, native peoples settled into a mystical season of
wood-carving, story-telling and spirit quests.
Though the misty spirits have fled and most of the ancient firs and cedars fallen to ax and
saw, there is still something mystical about the return of the winter rains to this part of
the world. Perhaps 'return' is too emphatic, for the rains ease back gradually and shyly.
First come the lingering fogs of October mornings. Then, the gentle showers that barely
penetrate the foliage but leave a fluid glaze on roads and cars. And then, one day in late
November, the sky furrows its brow in earnest, the wind kicks up out of the southwest, and it
rains like it means it for long, slow darkening hours.
To me, the wet urgency of these deep, midwinter weeks is very precious and holy. Daylight is
dim and brief. The blood is sluggish. Colors muted. Mushrooms, moss, mud, lamplight in the
window, fire in the hearth, and the intermittent tap and gurgle of falling rain. It's a time
of year for taking stock and counting your blessings, especially the blessings that fall
freely and plentifully from the sky.
David Laskin is an author and weather enthusiast from Seattle, WA. The Weather Notebook is
underwritten by Subaru and the National Science Foundation. Visit us at our website,
weathernotebook.org.
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