Snow In Seattle!
It's always big news when the white stuff finds Seattle. We never know if it will even get snow every year and never know when to expect it if we do. We've been dumped on in November and some years as late as February and then there have been years no snow fell at all.
The flakes started coming down yesterday morning, just little ones that weren't sticking around. Then at mid-day they decided to stick around and we have a good couple inches this morning. For those that battle feet high piles of snow in other states a couple inches is no big deal, but here it's major news. The main reason it is such big news is that no one in the Seattle really knows hows to drive in the snow. Oh, there are plenty a folks that like to think they do, but they don't. Another reason Seattle has to shut down whenever it snows is that from the beginning of time, Seattle has only owned one snow plow, (think they might have three now), and no one could figure out out how to use it.
Of course I'm kidding, lol, but it is true that we didn't have as many snow plows here that were needed and after a couple of surprise snowfalls that left Seattle totally immobilized, they beefed up the plow fleet. But driving in the snow is real tricky here because of the many, many steep hills. Even expert snow navigators from all those heavy snow laden states come here and can't make their way to the market without landing in a ditch. And we have wet snow too - it's like dumping a tanker truck load of Slurpee's into the roads which leaves no traction at all - ever experienced a Slurpee stop? Kids love 'em cause it's a lot like riding in a bumper car - wheeee!
Snow Happy!
Everyone loves the snow here and most want a lot more than we get!
They're saying that tonight is the night we get DUMPED on!The news is yakking about nothing else and everyone is flocking to the store for supplies. As far as I'm concerned, snow is dandy as long as I don't have to drive in it - and that includes, frozen slush, black ice, regular ice and ANY hill clear, covered or otherwise.
When I was a kid a snow was at the top of the list when it came to that ""Kid Excitement Meter" - especially the first snow of the season! It was right up there with opening the first gift at Christmas, "Snow Days", (not having to go to school), was always an occasion to Happy Dance!
We lived on a hill when I was a kid which meant there were TWO places to go sledding. One was very steep, but on the short side, (which makes a BIG difference on your way back up toting a sled or an inner tube), and then the other was a lot less steep and much longer - my friends and I stuck to the shorter, steep hill, thrillseekers yet lazy.
We'd be there for hours, only taking quick hot chocolate breaks and then trudging our way back to the crest of the hill. Some of my friends would go in for hot chocolate never to be seen again. Their mother's would get a hold of them, ripping their rubber boots, mittens and soaked snow clothes off before they even knew what hit 'em. They'd perch themselves in their living room windows, cozy in their flannels and bunny slippers, looking quite disgruntled and miserable. Of course we'd wave at them and call for them to come back out. They'd shake their heads or, much to the dismay of their mother, open a window or come out on the front porch to holler at us that their mom's wouldn't let them. We'd laugh, toss a few snowballs at 'em and then tease them with our over-dramatic antics in the snow.
When it was over, it was over.
Limping on feet I wasn't sure were even there, wiping my red, very runny nose with soaked, frozen mittens and trailing behind me my worn out sled I would finally go home, whipped, exhausted, frozen to the core, but oh, so satisfied. I never lasted long after getting into dry clothes and usually drinking down a cup of chicken noodle or cream of tomato soup. We always had the fireplace raging on those snowy days and nights and that's where I'd collapse and fall into a deep sleep, never remember my dad carrying me off to bed.
Of course there was nothing worse than to wake up the next morning and find that all that precious snow had been transformed into boring old rain sometimie in the night. Snowmen, which stood so straight and alert would be hunched over, tired and oh, so dingy. But in Seattle, that's how it goes - the rain owns this city and when it comes to snow, ya gotta act fast and get out there as soon as the first flake falls.
We'll see what tonight brings -
wouldn't be the first time we braced ourselves for the "Snow of ALL Snows" only to find a dusting on the front porch. Either way, I'm stocked up on hot chocolate.
