Windstorm that Wasn't

The coast of Oregon had hurricane force winds yesterday afternoon.  We were supposed to get high winds in the valley, with gusts exceeding 50 mph (some predictions were up to 80 mph gusts) but without fanfare, the rain marched through with very little wind.  Allegedly there was a 94 mph gust atop Mary's Peak, the highest mountain in the Coast Range.

I finally went to bed without herding the cats out of the cat yard and closing it off, in case a maple limb fell.  I saw no reason.

The miserable rain contains today.  Relentless wet winter, void of joy offered by days with breaks and sun.  Why do I live here?

I like to sit in my car and watch the birds swing on the bird feeder as winds buffet the Cherry Tree branches.   Today the swinging was minimal.  It must be something like a carnival ride.

I was removing the feeder a few days ago, to refill it, and dropped it.  The plastic cracked vertically in two places, top to bottom.  "Ah darn," I thought.  But I just went inside with it and super glued first one break, then the other, and then my finger, accidentally, to the counter.  Was able to peel my finger off.  I added some electrical tape across both breaks and  so far it's held up.

I have some flowers blooming in the yard.  Bleeding hearts are always beautiful.

And Daffodils....

I don't know what this bush is called.  I was trying to find some bush that would grow out and give me some privacy through my front window.  Most of the bushes I looked into were far too expensive.  Then I found this one for cheap at a roadside pickup "nursery", that probably had no permit to sell.  It was just a few dollars and has grown quickly, but I'm having trouble training it.

I've got volunteer potatoes growing but they'll yield nothing because the bugs get into them too quickly, boring holes right through them.

The cats wanted no part of picture posing.  They've been surly over all this darn rain been going on month after month and take it out on me and I then take it out any way I can.   Ha!

Meanwhile commissioners of this county where I live filed a lawsuit against the state.  The county  has a few thousand acres of land managed by the state after the county ruined it over logging long long ago I believe the story is--back in the 30's and 40's,   The state's supposed to manage it for the greatest economic yield and pay the county, the county that badly mismanaged it so long ago that it begged the state to take it.  It's all kind of strange to me.  Seems to me when a county, any county, doesn't want land after it gets mismanaged, sees it as a liability, they probably shouldn't get much say after that, is my thought.

The county thinks the greatest good is to cut down the trees, while the state thinks it should be managed for wildlife, salmon, recreation, like campgrounds and forest products.

Here's a quote from the paper article.  It's so darn sad to think all they think a forest is good for is cutting down, be damn the fish, the trails, the campgrounds, and people who need somewhere for recreation out of these god forsaken cities where there's nothing but blight and addictions.

"The commissioners contend that since 1998 the Oregon Department of Forestry has put more emphasis on uses other than timber harvesting — such as fish and wildlife habitat, trails, campgrounds and open spaces — which have resulted in a $35 million per year reduction in revenue to the counties."

  Be a sad day in the hell of rainy here if the county wins, I feel.   The county is poverty stricken, yes, although the commissioners do very nicely with their salaries and benefits. The tiny number of temp jobs produced taking down the forest isn't worth losing the forest for all its other purposes and good.  That's how I think.