It's Not Wasted

Some people are surprised to learn this, but Seattle is not snow country. Sure, a half hour drive into the Cascade Mountains will bring you to ski slopes, but snow on the city streets is a once every few years kind of event. This is a good thing given that we're a city built on hills and connected by bridges. Transplants from snowier climes mock us for our timidity about doing things like driving in the snow, but I've lived in the Detroit area -- it's flat there! Anyone can drive in the snow if you don't have a negotiate hills and bridges.

When I left the house yesterday, there were flurries in the air, just as forecast. By the time I got to school there was some accumulation, which was the extreme end of what the weatherman predicted. As school time approached, it was really coming down, and becoming evident that it was a snow day.

I know it doesn't look like much in these pictures, but I took these before seeing the heavy garbage truck fishtail down the hill in front of the school, and the snow kept coming, all day long, combined with temperatures in the 20's, another rarity around here, especially in November. When the wind kicked up in the evening, reaching 72 mph in some places north of the city, the wind chill factor dropped us to 7 degrees F. That's cold by anyone's standards.

It's not wasted, of course, I've already seen dozens of photos of Woodland Park kids romping in their backyards and parks close to home. We'd already decided to close school today before going to bed last night, another day for the children to throw snowballs, lick icicles and build snowmen. 

No, the snow day is not a wasted day, even for my teenager who will probably use it as an opportunity to sleep until noon. It's not supposed to get anywhere near warm enough today to melt the ice on the roads, and while I may hazard a drive to the grocery store, right now I'm planning the 1.5 mile hike to retrieve the 25 lbs. turkey I've ordered for Thanksgiving, bring it home, then set back out on a second trip to do the rest of the holiday shopping. Old school, baby.

After that, who knows? I might just spend the rest of the day trudging through the stuff, working up a mighty appetite.

In the meantime, this morning in my jammies gives me an opportunity to catch up on stuff, like checking out the video of my friend Tiberio's recent TEDxRainier talk. He's a remarkable, passionate, playful man, who has lived a life that might have crushed a lesser human. If you've ever wondered about the costume I'm wearing in the photo at the top of this blog, I blame Tiberio. He was the one who first envisioned a team of superheroes roaming the world giving out hugs and spreading love. 

There is a bit of nudity in the video, just a warning . . . or perhaps a snowy day enticement.