One of our big hurdles in moving to Seattle from the Bay Area was, of course, the weather. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the rainfall that makes a difference, it’s the number of overcast days. Although there have certainly been stretches of time when I wished for the sun to make an appearance, and the cat often looks at us with a mournful, sun-deprived expression, the general consensus is that the weather so far has been Not Normal. When we arrived in the summer, we were greeted with hot, dry days that stretched on and on, just like home. As we lamented over our terrifyingly high water bill, everyone told us “this is Not Normal.” Then the rains did arrive. “Ah, at last!” we thought. “The rain is here!” But it would not stop. Basements flooded. Streets flooded. That’s to be expected, right? It rains here. But the response was “Not Normal.” Then we had a some lovely autumn days, crisp and cold, reminiscent of my New England youth. Apparently that was also Not Normal. The mass of rain returned. Natives spoke fondly of the “mist” that they missed. Then yesterday, it snowed. I’ve decided that I am enjoying Not Normal. It translates to real weather.