Kathleen Sayce
Kathleen Sayce will be speaking at the Oysterville Schoohouse Thursday morning and it promises to be the perfect weather for her topic – rain! Actually, the forecast is for “showers” which fits the title of her talk, “The Many Names of Rain,” even more succinctly. It’s always pretty spectacular here when the Weather Gods conspire to ‘climate coordinate’ in harmony for a special occasion!
In case you don’t know Kathleen – and that would most likely be because you don’t live on the Peninsula or you are not involved in birding, wetland issues, propagating irises or any of the other myriad activities that fall within Kathleen’s field of expertise – she is a botanist/biologist extraordinaire.
“She’s 10 miles deep and 100 miles wide in her knowledge base,” says Extension Agent Kim Patten, a WSU researcher and associate professor of horticulture who often asks Sayce to identify plants growing along the bay or in cranberry bogs. “I don’t think there is a living soul who knows half what she does – a quarter, even.”
Oysterville Schoolhouse
The part that no one says, though, and the part I like best is that Kathleen ALWAYS relates her information back to what her audience is interested in. On the Peninsula, that has to do with the special features of our environment – not only the plants and animals, but the landforms and water features – as in the natural ones, not the backyard fountains or fishponds that newcomers sometimes try out. (Like why would you need to, I always wonder.)
Thursday’s talk on rain will be no exception, I’m sure. I expect to hear about our water table and whether or not we should be concerned during the dry months. I expect to learn how we can be almost surrounded and, sometimes, quite inundated with saltwater and still have a safe fresh water supply. And I expect to learn about the special gifts we have been given all because of our relentless rainfall. (Maybe “expect” sounds too demanding. Change that to “hope.”)
Kathleen’s inspiration for this particular subject, “The Many Names of Rain” came from hearing that the Eskimos (Inuit) have fifty names for snow. “They don’t have anything on us!” she laughs. While they are all about snow, we’re all about rain, and she says that she learns a few more pet names for that particular sort of precipitation every time she gives this talk.
I’m looking forward to hearing the audience ‘contributions’ on Thursday. The fun begins at 10 o’clock. Organizer Diane Buttrell suggests that you hook up with a friend and then go to one of our North End restaurants for lunch and your own follow-up discussion.
And, what could be better than hunkering down in a cozy eatery and talking about the weather? It combines two of the things we do best here on the Peninsula!
See you at the schoolhouse!
I am in awe of you.
I am grateful to you.
I love getting to know you.
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