It is 6:19 AM on Saturday March 5th, 2022. The morning light is in its infancy appearing behind the black outline of Sweeney Ridge and has chased the dark away revealing a gray, wet morning. Looking into the sky I can see the weather is still unsettled as a strong wind blows large clouds heavy with rain to the East threatening to smother the nascent dawn. Coastal rain is always volatile and so the weather companies hedge their bets usually reporting a 40-50% chance of rain for these atmospheric rivers as they cannot be sure. I miss the heavy thunderstorms of the Midwest with its sudden drop in temperature, earth shattering thunder and lightning and pounding, heavy rain that almost immediately create flooding in the streets. Those are the storms that seemed to herald the end of the world and thus reminded me of “The Nothing” from The NeverEnding Story.
No, here on the coast our rain is nothing like that. In recent years the rain seems not to come at all with day after day being 60 and sunny again with a slight chance of fog. The heaviest rain comes in the form of Atmospheric Rivers with a strong wind that makes the rain blow sideways. However, those are rare and so when we do get rain it is most often a disorganized system that threatens light to moderate rain that may moisten things up a bit but usually just leaves you wanting.
It is now 6:44 AM and the sun has made its presence known by strongly reflecting off of those juvenile rain clouds floating above Sweeney Ridge. My neighbor who is always coming and going has moved his red Toyota Prius out of the garage and will soon be on his way to wherever he goes. I hear my turtles paddling loudly making the water go “bloop, bloop, bloop” which is the signal they are demanding to be fed. (and so I’ll be right back). The heater has started letting me know it is chilly outside and that my PG&E bill will be outrageous again this month.
Today I’ll follow my usual routine of karate in the morning then coming home to engage with my favorite Web 3 corners of the internet, read, listen to Supernova in the East podcast, or maybe do some gardening. If the activity involves sitting then there is a very high chance I’ll fall asleep due to the huge energy exertion required by karate class. If the activity keeps me moving then there is no fear of a nap attack. With my youngest now being able to ride a bicycle then that is also a new favorite activity but rain may dampen any prospect of a coastal ride.
I have a number of things I’d like to write about such as the war in Ukraine, a good week at work, Crypto/NFT news and also my notes on a few books but at the moment I feel like just paying attention to the morning.
I can hear the Robins singing which is always a wonderful gift as they only pass through for a month or two in the spring. They remind me of my high school years in Ohio when I worked maintenance on a golf course and had to report at 5:00 AM. The Robins would always be singing so loudly, even before the faintest hint of dawn appeared. Here on the coast the birdsong isn’t as robust in the summer, perhaps due to the fact they need to hide from numerous birds of prey. In Ohio one can also sit comfortably out on the porch most mornings in the summer as the day is usually hot. Here on the coast however, it will always be from very, to moderately chilly and wind is usually a factor thus making any patio sitting unpleasant. With climate change however, a comfortable morning is becoming more frequent and so I’ve been enjoying drinking my coffee on the patio swing overlooking Linda Mar, the vast Pacific Ocean and getting lost in my thoughts.
