Around here (Pescadero California) the rains mean the end of fire season, the opening of the marsh to the sea and planning for spring.  Bulbs are in the nurseries and the winter cover plantings are coming in any time.  What this means is that savvy gardeners are shopping and planting.  I like to plant a few pots with semi exotic bulbs like colchicum or crocus and overplant them with primula malicoides for color until the bulbs come up.  This way I get a bit of planting in with a minimum of back ache and a surprise right after the holidays when the first bulbs appear.