A Rare Three-Percent Day

Pittock Mansion on a 3% day

A post a day in November . . . .

It was shocking and wonderful to wake up to bright blue sky today after weeks of mostly heavy gray clouds spouting on-and-off rain. Around here (Northwest Oregon), a day like today is called a "three-percent day," meaning no more than three percent of the sky is covered with clouds. It's a rare event, and likely happens about three percent of our days annually. Which if true, would give us only eleven days a year of pure blue sky. So how did I gain maximum enjoyment on this extraordinary occasion? After church I mostly laid on the couch reading and enjoying the sun through the window!

I've been working for the US Census Bureau, knocking on doors, and have polished my skill of dodging raindrops. It's not the getting wet that's bothersome as my water-repellent clothing works well. It's keeping the paper materials from getting soggy that's tricky. Yesterday I spent ten minutes in the car doing paperwork waiting for the biggest drops to quit falling.

Going door-to-door for my job I have learned:

1. 98% of people are at the least, cordial, most are pleasant, and many are downright friendly.

2. Roughly 75% of people own dogs. Some are yippy dogs but more have deep, daunting barks. Most are untrained, thus badly behaved.

3. You can usually will the weather to hold just long enough to get the job done.

4. Being friendly, easy-going, and forgiving can fend off hostilities.

5. You can get some great landscaping ideas from neighborhood yards. You also clue in on some great big landscaping "don'ts" and that goes for paint jobs too. And yard decorations. And the storing of trash cans, old cars, useless junk, old toys, etc.

Yay! Day one is done!