My Washington experience doesn’t include what is happening these days. Historically, snow falls, accumulates a little – maybe on Christmas Eve – and is gone by the middle of the next day. People tell me they don’t own snow shovels because it always melts. (And maybe some people own them and leave on the bluff along with the car window scrapers.)
But this snow event – variously called snowpocalypse and snowmageddon – started with a good size storm on Friday, clotting roads to complicate commutes and cause a run on grocery shelves. And that was just the beginning – two more storm systems (this time uncommon convergences of moist Pacific air and cold air from British Columbia’s Fraser River Valley), have since moved through – bringing hours of accumulating flakes. Easily a foot of snow has piled atop the patio table and covers the eight-inch daffodil spears that dared to emerge in January. Mounds of snow muffle the twinkle lights on shrubs.
Yesterday, Sunday, with main roads cleared, islanders emptied the grocery stores again and battened down for more snow (six inches fell on the car overnight). It began again by 11 a.m. My email pings with winter advisory notices from the Municipality – power lines down and roads closed. Power outages, especially in heavily wooded parts of the island, are a constant threat.
Rain (the weather prediction calls for “cold, miserable rain”) threatens to join the mix this evening. So maybe by the time this posts, things will be different – or maybe by Valentine’s Day we’ll welcome our familiar 42° with rain falling on bare pavement!
her spirits rose... 
Gosh, Katy, Bainbridge sounds like Boulder now, except that we are always stocked with shovels, brooms, snow tires, scrapers, de-icers, studded boots, and other snow-conquering equipment – just like Alaska! Hope it melts soon with the rain. Happy Valentines, Carol K.
Well – that’s a great list of all we don’t have! Happy ❤️ Day to you as well!
I love the valentines. The snow actually sounds nicer than “cold miserable rain.” At least the snow is pretty to look at! But what storm you’ve had! I hear it has even snowed in Hawaii. My daughter in Portland says that, “Compared to Anchorage, Portland is like the Middle Ages when it comes to snow.” I hope the daffodils spears survive and are there to greet you on Valentine’s Day.
You know, yesterday I thought that was very amusing, ver flowery language for the weather report – today I get it! It’s rain that is right on the edge – not warm enough to melt anything (just to threaten really bad conditions tonight) in a steady drizzle – a world away from warm, jolly rain. That might be Hawaii rain – the kind that lasts 20 minutes followed by hot sun. That’s so not what we have! And power went out last night also – 70% of the island. Now there are people, the linemen, I am really grateful for! Agreed about the Northwest and snow – but we are resourceful – the lid of an ice cube tray makes a pretty good window scraper.
Your ice cube tray has a lid??? I need one of those. A credit card also works in a pinch. And a lot of swearing under one’s breath sometimes helps. Hope things are better there today.
Yes it does! You are supposed to turn it over and twist and the cubes drop into the lid which then becomes the container! Unless you left it out in the car 🙂
Yikes! I hope things are more moderate now. Sunny and chilly here and the daffodils are near blooming but we can still have snow until April. Climate change is making things so unpredictable.