Now that Christmas has passed and everyone has gone back to work, it’s far too easy to look back over the last few weeks and wonder if good luck isn’t invariably balanced with bad luck.
In the last few days I’ve finally had time to notice the extent of the damage done in Pt Defiance Park by our two recent wind storms. I haven’t been able to walk any of my favorite trails since the wind storm that preceded Christmas. Although they’ve finally managed to open all the roads, it wouldn’t surprise me if many trails are closed until this time next year. It’s painful to realize that much of the damage done to the old-growth forest won’t be repaired in my lifetime.
I guess that’s to be expected when you have the wettest November-December in recorded history followed by one of the two worst wind storms I’ve ever experienced in the Pacific Northwest.
Things aren’t much better on the personal level, either. After repairing a considerable number of shingles in the last two wind storms, I’m convinced we need to replace the roof this summer. I’ve already replaced half the fence in the three years I’ve been here, but I’ll have to replace the rest of it by this summer — if not before!
One of our holiday outings last week was interrupted when Leslie’s Nissan broke down on the freeway on the way to the Olympia Children’s Museum. The other cars were so loaded with kids that we had to call her daughter to come pick up the crying grandkids, while we waited two hours for the AAA tow truck to pull us to the nearest repair shop. Yesterday we discovered that it would cost more to replace the clutch than the car is worth.
The nest egg we’ve accumulated in the last few years, looks considerably less considerable when faced with the cost of replacing both a car and a roof in the near future.
Still, I feel blessed to have the ability to avoid seeing what’s right in front of my face until I’m ready to deal with it, which is what I’m sure I’ll be doing for the next week or so.
