It Doesn’t Rain In Seattle All the Time
Swen Nater

Seattle weather forecast for tomorrow: Raining with a chance of drizzle.

Many of you know I live close to Seattle, Washington. And many of you know, when you think of Seattle, you think of Casinos, salmon, and rain.  Many times, friends have asked, “How can you stand it up there? All it does is rain all the time.”

First of all, don’t exaggerate. It doesn’t rain “all the time.” I remember a couple of days, three years ago, when it drizzled and we don’t consider drizzle, rain.

Wendy and I just got back from L.A. Down there, they kvetch about the last time any moisture came from the sky. Up here, I’m saying stuff like, “My calendar says it’s a full moon tonight but I’ll just have to take its word for it.”  

The job of weatherperson on the evening news in Honolulu is easy. It’s going to be sunny and 82 degrees. The only question is, from which direction the wind is coming and how many little bitty clouds are going to pass overhead and, God forbid, block the sun for ten seconds. It doesn’t rain here all the time, but in Seattle, the weather is equally simple to predict. When you can’t see Mt. Rainier, it’s raining. When you can see Mt. Rainier, it’s going to rain.

It doesn’t rain here all the time but, when the Pillsbury Doug Boy made an appearance at a local grocery store, and a Seattle native saw him, he complimented the mascot on his nice tan.  If you see me and my skin seems a little darker, don’t be fooled. It’s not a suntan; it’s rust. 

It doesn’t rain here all the time but, we don’t celebrate daylight savings time because it probably means an extra hour of rain.

It doesn’t rain here all the time but another Seattle friend, an optimist by nature, wears a sun visor on his rain hat.

Somebody get me out of here for awhile. I’ll even take Buffalo.

What do call two straight days of rain in Seattle? A weekend.