January in Puget Sound

I saw a tree today that was budding.
Seriously--the buds had broken open and I could see the leaves start to stretch out. The heather that grows alongside the sidewalk is blooming, and smells...well, heathery. It's foggy, and misty, with a bit of rain, but it's January, and some of the trees are budding.
Winter is easy in this part of the world, if you can stand the grey.
And I can.
Some people look at grey skies as depressing, as the clouds close in and blot out the blue sky and the yellow sun (often for days at a time). But I grew up in semi-arid regions of Southern Oregon, where infrequent rain was a welcome surprise, that brought a wet note of sage and dust into the air. I loved to go the wetter side and see the thousand shades of green, the riot of plants and the wet air. I learned that grey was not the main color. I had to learn to look around the grey, and learn that grey skies intensify the other colors.
The car that drives by in the sunshine is dull in color. But under grey skies, or in the rain, it glistens, and the colors become richer.
The trees in the sunshine lift up leaves and needles to the sun, seeming to forget all else. But in the rain, they seem to glow, giving off the light they stored up.
Flowers against a backdrop of blue sky and bright light are fine. But put against a backdrop of grey skies, they are no longer overshadowed by the sunlight.
The ocean and grey skies seem to blend together, either (to me) doubling the amount of ocean, or doubling the amount of sky.
In the grey season, drops of water hang off the long needles of pine trees like Christmas ornaments, glowing with diffused light. Sounds are diffused like the light. The world becomes like the inside of a cathedral, lit by an indirect source that can't be placed, but you can sense its presence. Temperatures and light are moderated, and extremes are banished to other places, like fabled sunny California, or snow-covered Rainier (on the few days you can see it in the wintertime.)
And when the clouds drift away, and the sun comes out, it is glorious. That's January on the Puget Sound, when the trees start to bud and the long, exuberant spring often begins.