Oso Strong

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

–Stevie Nicks

It has been a tough month around here.
Still getting over mom's passing a few months ago, then my cousin about her age died this past week,
And the three tragedies--the Malaysian airliner, the Seattle news Helecopter and now the Oso mudslide.
Mentally this has been hard on me for some reason. Hearing about a grandmother babysitting her 4 month old grandchild getting buried in the mudslide, when here I babysit my grandchildren makes this particularly close to home.
We live on a hill. The evidence of erosion in the forest below is ever before us. The mudslides on the railroad tracks just barely a quarter mile downhill from us happening during all this late winter rain.
What was emphasized in my geology classes at Edmonds Community college a few years back keeps coming back to me; " be aware of your surroundings when you buy a property for your home."
The strong willed, self- sufficient folks of Oso and Darrington-- Lumberjacks. Tarheels.  Enjoying the wonderful Pacific Northwest outdoors along the river where they could fish for Steelhead trout and knew the the backwoods ways.
They are there now for each other.

But they could use a little help now that mother nature has dealt them a tremendous blow.

Oso strong. They are. But they are grieving and basically stranded. What was a 50 mile route to their jobs is now a 100 mile route.
We grieve with them.

https://www.booster.com/osostrong