As I sit here at my desk writing this column Friday afternoon, I look outside at the pouring rain beating against my windowpane. I knew it was only the beginning of a long, wet weekend. A huge trough of low pressure was spinning in the Gulf of Alaska, promising heavy rains and mountain snows.

There will be a storm Saturday that will swing inland close to the coast and move northward toward Vancouver Island. This will bring us our first taste of winterlike wind. Nothing serious, but forecast charts Friday indicated possible gusts of 40 to 45 mph here. That would wipe many of the colorful leaves off the trees for sure.

With so many trees still holding their leaves, there is always the possibility of a few power outages developing if the winds materialize. Colder air arrives later Saturday,

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