The rain/clouds and gloom in Portland is worse than advertised (Eugene: to buy, allergies)

[bobmulk]

God, here we go again. ATTENTION WORLD: There is NEVER sun in Oregon. We all live in houseboats. There are no plants because there's no sun. As a matter of fact, we don't believe the sun exists. Everyone's skin is waterlogged. It's nothing but a dark rain gutter here and we all sit in our dark little houses hunched around a wood burning stove trying to stay warm.

We have no glorious Indian summers with changing colors and the brisk nip in the air--with sunshine into November. We never have those sunny, cold days in winter where the air is completely clear. You never see the new growth of spring because it's perpetually dark and nothing can grow.

THERE, that oughta do it. Everyone happy now?

Good God.

[checar]

Just look at the numbers. Sunny days per year is about 140. Compare that to where you are now and decide if you can cope or not. It takes days worth of Oregon rain to measure up to just one hour of most other places' rain. It doesn't rain big fat raindrops here, so if you compare inches of rainfall it will be very deceptive. I've been here three years. It's rainy until the 4th of July. It stops around that time, and the summers are stunning. It starts to get soggy by October or November with SOME crisp fall days but mostly WET fall days. I would know, because fall is my favorite season - but not the fall they have here. Here it just makes me homesick (and yes, I'm leaving ASAP)...

Anyway, it rains from fall to spring with some clear days thrown in there. My second winter here it rained for 40 straight days and I am not making that up. bobmulk, I am ignoring your reply in advance.

[Metlakatla]

You don't know what rain is until you've lived in Ketchikan.



I love autumn in Oregon.

[oldtintype]

Anyway, it rains from fall to spring with some clear days thrown in there. My second winter here it rained for 40 straight days and I am not making that up. bobmulk, I am ignoring your reply in advance.


What year did it rain 40 days straight? And was that 40 days with solid rain, or 40 days with some light rain and mixed sun/clouds? Many of the rain days will also be partly sunny. If you work 9-5 type hours indoors you wouldn't see that most likely and since it gets dark early in winter I think that's why people often feel like it's always dark.

And out of curiosity, did you take Vitamin D and Fish oil during the winter?

[argo69]

Recent studies indicate that anyone living north of San Francisco should take Vitamin D supplements for about half of the year (unless they are eating gobs of cold water fish like the Eskimos do). Apparently, even if you are outside mid-day during Oct.-March the low angle of the sun is such that it is virtually impossible for the body to produce much Vitamin D. On the other hand, during the summer (even in the northern latitudes) the angle of the sun is such that a mere 15 minutes a day of exposure on ANY body part is sufficient. The body can store Vitamin D but with many people slathering on sunblock and avoiding the sun for fear of skin cancer, wrinkles, etc. the Vitamin D level of most people isn't enough to make it through the winter.

There is actually speculation that a widespread Vitamin D deficiency is behind the Northwest having the highest rate of Multiple Sclerosis in the entire United States...it's the only factor doctors have been able to isolate that makes this area different from everywhere else.

So...
Eat massive quantities of cold-water fish
Take a vitamin d supplement (or multi-vitamin)
OR
Take a mere teaspoon of Cod liver oil each day.

I opt for the Cod liver oil as it seems more natural than a supplement and the stuff lasts forever. You can even leave it out unrefrigerated and it will not go rancid. I've been taking the stuff for years...

[Minervah]

I wonder if a person's perspective on the weather depends upon what part of the day he or she is outdoors. I leave the house for work in the morning at around 6:30 am. Up until this week the temp has been in the lower 30's. During the day it gets up to the 40's and low 50's.

My friend who doesn't work and doesn't stir until around 11:00am and then she doesn't leave her house until 12:00. She will tell me the temps have been from the low to high 40's. She can't believe it was so much colder in the morning.

[oldtintype]

I take cod liver oil capsules and vitamin D daily as well. I think many people would be shocked at the way they feel with just this simple thing.

[argo69]

Originally Posted by oldtintype

I take cod liver oil capsules and vitamin D daily as well. I think many people would be shocked at the way they feel with just this simple thing.

Yes, I agree. I'm a very healthy eater and having read lots and lots about nutrition and diet, Vitamin D was the only nutrient that I could come up with that I was not getting enough of. I'm 39 and it is the only dietary supplement of any kind that I take.

I use Carlson's brand Cod Liver Oil which is imported from Norway and I have seen bottles in more than a few kitchens here in Seattle. The oddest thing is that some of the joints in my legs used to make a small "cracking" sound when I walked and after starting the cod liver oil this disappeared permanently.

[hymalaia]

cod liver oil is great; vitamins a + d in their most natural (aka best) form. omega threes with dha and epa (flax isn't nearly as good). It's like a super supplement. The main downside is that it goes rancid pretty easily. That's the main reason such fats are lacking in our diet, they are not easily turned into commodities as they go bad too fast.

[tiffela74]

I too, am curious about when it rained here in Oregon for 40days...(isnt that Noah's story BTW??) because I know its not been in the last 34yrs.
Personally, i liked Bobmulks reply. LOL!!!
Might be helpful to some folks too, to get out and about during their lunch break. Get in some of that natural sunlight each day.
For others, theyre not ever going to see anything but doom and gloom here in Oregon, regardless of what the weather truly is. Some people just think if theirs a single white puffy cloud in an otherwise clear bright day, that its partly cloudy. That anything less than a 90degree, clear and bright day is dark and gloomy. They wont find happiness here. And should move to make the most of their lives. Why live somewhere you hate? Theres more than enough people wanting dearly to move here and live in Oregon. Trade em out.
Tiffany
ps....some great tips and advise on the Vit. A/D infor. Thanks for everyone thats being helpful.