The last week here in the Pacific Northwest provided ample proof of the old adage that you should be careful what you wish for because you might get it. I’ve spent most of my life here in the Pacific Northwest wishing for a White Christmas.
Well, we’ve had snow for nearly a week now and I’m beginning to get cabin fever. Leslie needs the RAV 4 with four-wheel drive to get to work, and that pretty much leaves me stranded at home, unable to get to the YMCA or to stores I need to finish my Christmas tasks.
Snow, much less extended snow, is so rare, that the Puget Sound Area is quite unprepared for it. The city doesn’t have a fleet of snowplows waiting to go into immediate action; judging from the conditions of the road in front of our house they must not have more than one or two dump trucks with plows in the whole city of Tacoma.
My son was supposed to fly in Tuesday from California bringing gifts, and we were going to send cookies and presents home with him. After reading local papers, I sent him several warnings, suggesting that it would be wiser not to come judging from long lines at the airport and strings of canceled flights.
Adding to my irritation, only one of the Christmas presents I ordered from Amazon has appeared, though the latest were due last Friday. I’m not really in much of a mood to go out and buy duplicate presents, though I’m tempted to do so for grandkids. Right now it looks like presents won’t get here until after Christmas. Thank goodness I’m not the parent who has to convince them Santa Claus couldn’t get to their house because there was snow outside!
I’ve barely managed to get out for my walks with Skye and still haven’t managed to get a good picture of the snow, making me think that I really don’t know snow well enough to get a good picture. Of course, it doesn’t help that it’s so cloudy that it’s dark outside that even with all the light reflected off the snow I haven’t managed to get a good picture of the Stellar Jays that are coming to the feeder.
I hope that you and your family will have a Merry Christmas in all that snow!
Hi Loren, I hope you get back out there soon. I’m sure your pictures of the snow will be beautiful.
Sorry to hear about cabin fever. Hope the sun comes out, soon, as all that snow would be pretty. Hopefully your other packages will get in tomorrow, and no kids are disappointed.
Thanks, Shelley, I edited those out, at least on the single entry.
Sounds absolutely awful weather Loren. I agree it is not easy to get good snow photographs. Let’s hope all the snow has gone by New Year and then everything will be back to normal. Happy Christmas to you all.
Ha! Me too, and even my silly California-born self is getting a little sick of all this. It’s totally disorientating having the whole world be pretty much the same color, as the sky takes on the same tone as the snow, which covers just about everything.
I talked to a woman yesterday at the bus stop; she works for the city of Lacey and said that they own exactly two snowplows. I imagine Olympia is similar, and our little side street has packed-down ice a couple of inches deep by now.
Merry Christmas Loren. With all this talk of snow I thought I’d send some warm sunshine greetings from South Australia! I’m sitting writing this with a bunch of sunflowers by my side! And yes, we did have a hot Christmas Day – it reached 32C. Isn’t the world an amazing place? Hope all is well your side of the globe! I really enjoy your website. It’s a cool place to visit!
Warm wishes to you and your family on the day after Christmas.
Still snowing up here near the Canada-U.S. border on December 26 in the afternoon.
Yesterday I saw a family of Trumpeter Swans fly overhead in a northwesterly direction. Strikingly white against the flat grey sky. The family has been taking refuge on the Lake Whatcom pond since the cold weather began. The Lake Whatcom pond empties into Whatcom Creek and is just a few minutes walk away. One of my close neighbors has seen them up close. Maybe she’ll get some good photos. My physical tolerance for snowy weather is nonexistent. I’ll be out walking as soon as the snow melts, when we are back to the usual winter rain. I will be delighted if I can celebrate New Year’s Day walking in the rain!
I’ll definitely second that emotion, am. I did take Skye for walks the first few days it snowed, but it’s gotten so icy that I haven’t been out for days. In other words, I’ve gotten very little exercise in the last two weeks.
I’m definitely looking forward to RAIN, ironic after how much I complained about last year’s rain-soaked winter.