It was another grey day at the Anchor Pub's Center for Faith-based Astronomy.

A couple of regulars seated at the bar were staring out thru the Large Grey Array - the large south-facing windows, installed in the era of the Big Window Theory ,which basically states that the grayer the sky, the larger the windows need to be to let in enough light.

They were having a nice little Whine Ceremony, over a couple of glasses of Chardonnay. Whining about the weather. Again. As usual.

"Well Bob, I guess we're about ten days into it now".

" Into what, Bill?"

" Spring - it started about ten days ago, Astronomically speaking that is."

" Well I don't know about that, with all this gray I haven't seen much Astronomy lately. But I guess them heavenly bodies is still hard at work up there somewhere. I have seen evidence".

" Like what?"

"Well the Moon, she's a hard worker. We've had some pretty low tides lately, so she's still pulling her weight"

" Somebody's got to keep those shorebirds on their toes I guess. That lazy old Sun hasn't been doing much lately though, seems like this spring isn't exactly moving at the speed of light"

" Spring is always slow around here Bob. It's not the Sun's fault, if anything blame his girlfriend"

"Girlfriend? Who's that?"

"Come on Bob, where've you been! I mean miss Large and in Charge - that big ol' Pacific Ocean. They've been having a torrid affair for years, getting all hot and bothered down in them Equatorial Zones, and whatnot, making waves and just generally steaming up our whole coast"

" Bill, when I see folks like that I just want to say -Get a Room!"

"Oh they got a room - and we're in it. Ever hear of 'Window on the Pacific'? Well we're it, up to our eyeballs in cold condensation. Kinda puts the brakes on our Spring season."

" I guess I never thought about it that way Bill. I guess we're like, you know, the Condensation Nation".

"Yup, cold condensation. It's so chilly I feel like microwaving this chardonnay for a minute, just to warm up".

"Bill, have you ever been to the Other Side ?, you know, of the Window?"

" Well it's been awhile. I remember they got a lot of Sages over there; Sage bushes, Sage Grouse, Sage Thrashers, Sage Sparrows, stuff like that"

"Well give me a Sage, and I've got some questions!"

" I don't know how wise they are Bob, but they are dry, mostly"

Jeff Gibson
Center for Faith-based Astronomy at
The Anchor Pub
1001 Hewitt Ave
Everett Wa