The. Drought. Is. Over. Other than a light sprinkle a few weeks ago, we haven’t seen rain here since June. Some might think hey, that sounds really nice; but the dryness of the climate has been pretty detrimental; especially considering the wildfires popping up every few days.
As I sit under the cover of the overhang belonging to the general store, I plan on making a joke about how Pacific Northwesterners will still complain about the rain; despite the several months of consistent sun and the horrible drought. Before I even start though, I hear a man coming out of the store. ”Back to rain! It never ends” he says to a familiar face passing by, with a subtle hint of distaste. I have lived in this northwestern tip of the United States on and off for many years now, and I will never comprehend the victim mentality people take about weather here. Granted, I DID grow up in a harsh climate(in regards to the USA anyways), so I might be biased- but this place has the nicest weather of anywhere I have ever lived. During my time in Seattle, if it rained for 5 minutes(raining in Seattle mind you is usually a light sprinkle, not even enough to get your clothes wet), everyone was up in arms. It really makes no sense. We want the reputation, I guess.
Just so no one confuses me for NOT being a hypocrite- I was about to complain about the rain. Not complain, maybe; I am absolutely ecstatic about it. The fires are ceasing, the campfire ban will be lifted, and the sweet pitter-patter on the van roof puts my anxiety at ease. Last night was probably the best I’ve slept in months, purely due to the noise. I am just unprepared. I have really only experienced wet weather twice since moving into the van, and I don’t have a great system for keeping wet and dirty things separate from dry and clean. I was hoping to spend the day prior to going into the kitchen cleaning and organizing the van; but I can’t really pull anything out, as I have no dry nor clean place to set it down.
Just embrace it, I tell myself. I mean hell, I really could give a shit less if my stuff gets all muddy. That’s what I’m used to. It’s more so my books, electronics, sentimental things I don’t want to absolutely destroy. The addition of my snowboard gear, fresh off wet ash, doesn’t help either.. belongings I usually keep at my work locker.. which was locked shut on my way down from the hill.
Long story short, I am unorganized and unprepared. Lessons will be learned, as I don’t think this storm is going anywhere.
I managed to be somewhat productive, though. I got all my dishes done, changed my oil filter, went for a solid hike.. hell, I almost did laundry. Almost. lmao.
Three o’clock came and I had to head into the kitchen. I keep getting shocked by how dead it is in there sometimes; before reminding myself that this is no new environment for me. I have worked in plenty of remote restaurants that survive solely due to tourist traffic; which is entirely dependent on the weather. Especially in December. Years of scrubbing dishes im Brooklyn and Seattle have sullied my perspective though, so I forget how dead it can really be. We probably had 30 seats all night. THIRTY. We closed early, of course, but not before getting the call from my other job saying we were shut down tomorrow. The company recently decided that if the bike park wasnt open, the retail shop wasnt.. something they’re obviously doing to cut budget; although it truly is nonsensical considering 95% of our traffic is from the hotel guests, weddings and general tourists; certainly not from the bike park.
Okay, maybe 75%. I lied. Sue me. Thinking on it further, we do actually get a fair amount of traffic from them. I really don’t think we should be closing the shop though. And it’s not because I want the hours; it’s because I see heartbroken customers all the time even when we close early, people who have driven an hour just for a souvenir from the infamous Mount Hood. I have a really hard time seeing people disappointed, to a fault, really. I just feel like the multi-million dollar company can keep a couple minimum wage employees on payroll for a day; even if it means the higher ups have to consider whether or not they have to eat at home one night this week. Poor guys.
Overall, I am feeling really much more positive and relaxed than I have over the past couple of months. Which is insane, considering that was a huge step forward from the last decade or so. I don’t really know what life has in store for me but I’m taking it in stride and that finally feels good again. All there is to do now is to make the most of each day and find a balance between living each moment Ike it’s my last and planning for a more stable future :) I hope each and every one of you is finding some peace today on this roller coaster of a life that we lead. Stay up, folks 🖤
