1.10.17

The first few weeks I was here, I realized I just didn't have the right rain gear. As a former Florida girl and recently Georgia girl, I just didn't look at rain as anything but a mild temporary condition, except for hurricanes and who goes out in those anyway. 

Rain, here, in the Pacific Northwest is a way of life. So much so, that when I DID get a water-proof jacket, I realized I would have to find a place to hang it when I came indoors. No closet would ever allow a wet jacket to dry with out mold and mildew. I also found I needed waterproof shoes! I wasn't planning on that, nor was I planning on the snow boots I had to purchase two weeks later. 

I looked at all kind of hall trees and coat racks and settled on this one. It came in two boxes half that height and I spent the better part of three hours putting it together, but it was time well spent. I use it numerous times a day.

I use the NextDoor ap on my phone and neighbors report in on concerns, ask for advice, advertise things to give away, that sort of thing. Imagine my surprise to learn that even though I am 2400 miles away from Appalachia, I still have coyotes in my neighborhood, and a bobcat was spotted down the street. Amazing. My little neighborhood does border Tryon Creek State Park, so that may have something to do with it, but I thought I would be too close to the big city for the same wild beasties I was trying to avoid in Georgia.