Ready for Spring? YES - Definitely!!!

I just returned from a night out in Seattle with Bill to see Amos Lee at the Moore Theater.  Thankfully I brought along my mini umbrella because it rained. I popped it out of my purse and quickly opened it to avoid the dreaded frizzy rain hair I so easily get in this climate.  As I looked around the busy downtown area, I noticed that I was the ONLY umbrella on the block.  Seriously.  Many people had their hoods up and the others just didn't bother.  I found myself feeling a little funny with my little umbrella in the rain.  How crazy is that?!?  I guess it just drizzles here so much that people just stop bothering with umbrellas. 

We lived in Sacramento for nine years and I was surprised by how people there didn't like to go places when it rained.  It seemed like really rainy days in Sacramento were the PNW equivalent of a snow day.  And yes, if they did have to go out in the rain, they definitely used umbrellas. 

Years ago I used to work for a buyer for a couple of retail stores.  I'll never forget meeting a new sales rep for a company that sold raincoats and umbrellas.  She had just moved to the area and said she thought she'd hit the mother load with her new Pacific NW territory.  She was surprised that her numbers weren't what she thought they would be.  I guess it made sense - people think Seattle = rain = lots of umbrellas.  Sadly for that sales rep, it's not really true.  Well, the rain part is, but not the umbrella part of the equation.  I was reminded of that again tonight during my lone umbrella moment.

I came home to discover one of my leaf and berry mugs is in a spring themed Treasury called "Leafy - Ready for Spring?" My answer to that is a definite YES!

Rainy Days and Mondays

Rainy Days and Mondays...that song will always make me think of one of my older sisters who used to listen to The Carpenters when I was a young kid (and Jill - you know why - ;-)). I know all the words to so many of those songs, thanks to her. The soundtrack of my childhood was incredibly influenced by my three older siblings. I remember sitting outside my big brother's room while he listened to his favorite music on his giant reel-to-reel tape system. I used to play his 45's on the record player when he was off at school. Apparently I often scratched them and I remember him being steaming mad at me for that.

I grew up listening to what would equate to a crazy musical stew of the Beatles, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Three Dog Night, Steve Miller Band, Elton John, Carly Simon, Carole King, The Carpenters, various disco songs (ha!) - topped off with a splash of musical theater that my mom would stack up on the "hi-fi" (Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, etc...) and the Nat King Cole that my dad loved so much. Those songs are truly unforgettable - the lyrics are burned into my brain. Most of us have a soundtrack to our youths - usually so telling of where we were in our lives and what we were doing. I'm always curious to hear what songs were the soundtracks to my friend's youths. Anyone willing to share?

Today one of my "Monday Morning Coffee Mugs" was included in an Etsy Treasury called "Rainy Days and Mondays". Surprisingly it's not raining today here in the Seattle area - like it is so many Mondays. When I saw the title, I instantly heard Karen Carpenter's deep voice singing that song in my head - which started the above thread of thought. Honestly, these days I kind of like Monday mornings as the kids are back in school and I usually get a little break from the chaos. So perhaps the tune will change to "Rainy Days and Mondays always make me smile". At least for now.