People think that it rains all the time in Portland, Oregon. I moved here years ago hoping it was true. But summers here are sunny and dry, often hot–and getting more so. The summer of 2023 was positively arid, which is why I am thrilled to celebrate the last day of August with a cozy gray sky, the patter of steadily falling drops, and the scents of wet leaves and petrichor coming in through all the open windows. Xanthe the cat won’t get her daily walk up this sodden path behind the house just yet.