There’s only one drawback to living in the Valley. No, it’s not the sudden smells that assault the nose from time to time— “the smell of money,” as Denise Beebe puts it—and it’s upon us now: the threat of “sudden waterfront property.”
Heavy, heavy hangs over our heads in the Valley today. Those of us who don’t want the hassle of airport security checks or airline gouging over checked baggage, don’t have to go Hawaii; Hawaii has come to us via the Pineapple Express, the euphemism for the more serious “plume of moisture” that is parked over the Valley this morning. And it’s not expected to leave its parking spot any time soon. December 12 and the temp is a balmy 56 degrees; the heavens have opened up; the rain is blowing sideways; the barometer fitful. As The Yearling’s Penny Baxter said of an imminent hurricane: “It’s going to come a reg’lar toad strangler of a rain.”
Every two hours last night I checked the Snohomish County Flood Warning Map (co.snohomish.wa.us) “real time flood warning information.” Flood gauge stations maintained by the county are squares, color coded, representing the current flood phase. Until five this morning, all squares were green, level I. At this posting some have turned to yellow, phase II flooding. My concern is the yellow square at Index and the Skykomish River. Water seeks its own level, folks, and she’s on her way down in a rush. The Sky is expected to crest at eighteen feet 10:00 p.m. today.
Looks like it’s going to be a sleepless night in the Valley tonight. Or bad dreams with red lines running through ‘em (See Nov. 19th post, “Redlining the Valley”). Boots are by the door; flashlight nearby, both handy for the slog across the road every two 
What is a cubit again? And just how many of ‘em do I need?
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