January 1, 11:00 a.m., 41⁰. Fog shrouds the wetlands I see through my front window here in Bellingham. This weather, and this view, remind me of winter in California’s Central Valley where I grew up. Fog settles in every evening at this time of year there and stays the night, then lifts a bit during the day to form a solid grey sky. I see that winter sky in Paul Buxman’s painting. Paul is a farmer in the southeastern part of the Valley, and knows that winter sky intimately.

Winter is California’s rainy season. It is also our rainy season. Contrary to its rainy reputation, Western Washington actually gets very little rain in summer. Our trees depend on the winter snow pack in the high Cascade mountains that parallel our coastline. Last year and this winter the storms that we usually get in winter have shifted south, inundating California and bringing enough precipitation to ease the prolonged drought that had almost emptied the reservoirs. I am happy for Paul Buxman and the other California farmers, but I am anxious for the land up here. The land that is not getting the snow and rain it needs. We are in the second year of drought, and drought means forest fires, which have been terrible in recent years. Last year Bellingham received just under 29 inches of precipitation; this year we are on track to get even less.

 The ominous consequences of climate threaten the land I love. The lack of rain and snow pack make me anxious and sad–yet my ordinary day to day life continues much as usual. I get up in the morning, fix my tea and toast, then sit and write in my journal until it’s time to eat breakfast, get dressed and go into the office and work. Work is my refuge. I only published one post here on this website in 2023, the obituary I wrote for my daughter, Nina Renee, who died August 17, eight days after her 67th birthday. I kept writing during that time, though. I wrote a lot.

My writing was important to Renee. She’d given copies of the first two books to almost all her friends as Christmas gifts, and I’d committed to finishing Book Three of my family heritage trilogy by the end of 2023. I wanted to give it to her while she was still with us. That did not happen, and that makes me sad. Writing helps, though. She feels like my partner in this long, long project.

The writing and editing are done now, and the chapters are in the hands of the gal who turns my texts into actual books. Joanna is aiming to have Book Three in proof-copy by the end of January. If all goes as planned the book should be available on Amazon by the end of February.