Residing in the PNW is beautiful ~ from May to October. The rest of the year, it is dark which requires some mind tricks to make it through with one’s sanity.
For this writer, Dark Season Part I begins October 15th and runs through January 2nd. This season is inclusive of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Fun, family, friends, and warm feelings are promoted. There are lots of paid holidays, which is good for the budget. The NFL is in full swing. To keep our spirits up we begin counting down til the days start getting longer. All in all, it is survivable.
Dark Season Part II begins January 2nd, and runs though April 1st. The federal holidays don’t have lead-ups, and there is very little to bring distraction unless one is super hard core. Valentine’s Day (lame commercials) and St Patrick’s day (drink for drink sake) don’t do much to cheer the mood for more than a few hours. The NFL is wrapping up; the good teams have clearly established their positions and it’s finished halfway through Part II. Lengthening of days is overshadowed by dark, cold, and wet.
Survival of the fittest plays during Part II. Those who can overcome by any means possible win. If you are on the low end of the Darwin Dark scale you relocate after a year or two. If you are king, you find ways to Jedi mind trick yourself into making it through until April. Ah, the magic month of April, when it might be wet, but the visions of flowers and sun begin to show themselves.
Some PNW residents fool themselves into thinking the weather should not interfere with their normal outdoor activities. They pretend that hiking, camping, rock-climbing, bicycling and fishing are normal things to do in the rain and darkness. They make up winter activities, like snow-cave camping. REI makes a fortune selling them specialty gear and flashlights. While we all agree these folks are delusional, it is okay because they emerge on April 1st with their sanity intact and fit as a fiddle.
Most PNW residents take up hobbies that can be done indoors. A real resident has subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Prime, CBS All Access, Acorn and the rest. Their TV /Cable/ Streaming bill exceeds their mortgage. They make soup, go to movies, (*&^%, 49ers just lost), wander around mega stores, pose at Starbucks with their laptops, and play oodles of video games. These are all proven survival techniques. A well-honed skill with the mouse is the number one way to survive Dark Season Part II.
Flynn & Ollie have not yet figured out their 2020 Part II game plan. Do not fear, however, ideas are circulating in their little brains. A vacation in March to FL is in the works because planning and looking forward to a trip is a proven way to keep one’s sanity. There will be more highly opinionated poker postings, a few poker sessions, likely some soup-making, and without a doubt some new hobby which will fail within a month. (RIP popsicle stick sleds.)
In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy Dark Season Part I. Go KC Chiefs! We are enjoying leftover turkey sandwiches, spending time with family, Friendsgivings, and planning Christmas gatherings. There are only 21 more days until the days get longer. Woo Hoo!
The end.
The Editor