The rains have begun in earnest, cold downpours that go on and on. When the clouds parted yesterday, we saw fresh snow on Davis Peak. The salmon are spawning and dying in the Cle Elum River. The big silver chinooks lie on their sides on the bottom while the red sockeye hover above. Vine maples change by the minute it seems. Where was green is now yellow, soon shading to orange and red against a backdrop of dark trees and soggy gray sky.

Time to gather the wet pears and green tomatoes. Time to shop for new rain gear. Time to light a candle on dark mornings, and finish buttoning up the nest