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With the intense heat gone, the outdoors has regained its appeal.
Though I must say summer here has not been nearly as bad as elsewhere. I still get email notifications from King County in Washington and just yesterday they sent a heat advisory.
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In 2000, Seattle’s mild climate was largely what appealed to me. In winter, I seldom needed a coat and summers were not oppressive. There were occasional wet periods, but stories of constant rain in Seattle were grossly exaggerated.
However, over the eighteen years I lived there, everything changed, winters got colder and snowy while summers became uncomfortably hot with prolonged dry spells. Dragging the garden hose around grew tedious.
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The large house I purchased for the purpose of taking in foster cats was not air-conditioned because such a thing had never been necessary. Even when we had hot days, at nighttime the temperature always dropped.
Until it didn’t.
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Then came wildfire smoke, far worse than anything we have so far experienced here in our part of upstate New York.
Traffic congestion that had always been bad became seriously annoying and every time I drove anywhere, I took note of building projects, trees being felled and condominiums go up. They were all the same box-like construction.
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Going to live in Washington State, I had never been concerned about earthquakes. I was there for the one in 2001 but, driving at the time, I only realised what was happening when I noticed a traffic light swaying strangely and people running out of buildings.
When I got home, my cat Yeti looked quite put out and a few things had fallen down. At SEATAC, there was a large crack in a wall, but none of that troubled me.
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The decision to transfer to Seattle was made very suddenly, without any of my normal pondering and weighing odds, so I didn’t stop to think about Mt Rainier and the fact that it is a volcano.
Somewhere in my childhood I must have seen newsreel coverage of a volcanic eruption, or perhaps a film. Maybe I read about Pompeii. In any event, I have volcanophobia.
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As beautiful as Mt Rainier is and although I spent the night of 9/11 in a lodge on its flanks, I always felt just slightly uncomfortable living in such close proximity.
That night was surreal. I was lucky to be with a close friend as I processed the shock of the event. After dark we walked outside and had the rare opportunity of viewing a sky punctuated only by stars where normally there would have been numerous aircraft on approach to Seattle.
In the hotel lobby someone played the battle hymn of the republic on an out-of-tune piano. It was hard to know what to feel.
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The main road near my Washington home was designated a tsunami escape route and I probably would not have paid much attention had such events not become so very significant. Seeking to inform myself, I went online where I learned of the probability, in the event of a tsunami striking the Pacific coast, that the area west of interstate 5 would likely be inundated.
In theory, my house would be safe from flooding as well as from an eruption of Mt Rainier.
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Therefore, those weren’t worries I tossed and turned about at night, though I did have the occasional nightmare, so the anxiety was apparently lodged in the back of my brain.
But, with one thing and another, I developed a sort of malaise with life out there.
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In the end, my move was driven by economics. I’d had to stop taking in foster cats because I had several that were un-adoptable for one reason or another and with all the goodwill in the world, the budget will only stretch so far.
If I was to sell the house, I might as well relocate.
So I did.
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Timing is everything and there was one thing that would have held me back.
A matter of weeks before the move two stray cats turned up on the porch. We called them Charlie and Little One.
We could have trapped Little One and she would have settled in well enough but Charlie was feral.
To trap him would have been cruel and they were bonded. They belonged together.
If I’d seen these two faces a few weeks sooner, I would likely still be living in that house. As it was, I had to avoid getting emotionally involved but even now I feel guilty that I abandoned them.
They will always weigh on my conscience.
Thank you, Carolyn, for your moving tale, the stunning skies, and the reminder that we all have regrets about doing something that makes us feel guilty. As cats are resourceful and intelligent, they would find a home somewhere.
Joanna
A lifetime with animals is always filled with situations that hurt, and a burden of guilt. But try to stay focused on all the good you have done, and continue to do. You are an inspiration, Carolyn, on many levels, and there are uncountable numbers of animals whose lives you have enhanced and improved. Even we human animals find joy in your blog. Thank you!
We do not really have to consider earthquakes and volcanoes when thinking about relocation in England. One of the benefits of living here, I suppose. Even though I am not patriotic, I would not seriously consider living in another country, especially the USA. However, if I had no choice but to go anywhere else, and could choose, then Singapore would be my first choice.
Best wishes, Pete.
I’m glad I don’t have to worry about tsunamis or volcanic eruptions here where we live – the government is enough of a concern! Yes, sometimes we leave an animal (that doesn’t belong to you) behind when moving and it’s a sad thought … Berto often has to remind me that we can’t save all the homeless animals 😔.