SNOWED IN!

We have been struck by a bizarre-in-December cold front, which has kept us snowed and iced in for several days. It first started snowing Sunday morning, and it has snowed off and on since then. I haven't left the house since then and have been working from home. I realize that I'm very lucky that my job enables me to do that, and I feel for those people who do not have that luxury! On the other hand, I'm going a bit stir crazy being cooped up for several days.

Mike has been out and about with chains on our car, but I'm really a cold weather wimp myself. Our intrepid friends Lynn and Jolie walked all the way to Hillsdale the other day!!! Today it's above freezing, but we are expecting more snow this afternoon, tomorrow, and Saturday, so who knows when the end will come?

Mike's mum arrived from the UK on Monday night, and my dad took Mike to the airport to retrieve her in his snow-tired car. The kids have had an early winter break, much to Chris' delight and Kieran's chagrin. He was looking forward to a holiday party today and his first-ever elementary school holiday concert tomorrow. This morning when he learned that he would not have school but Chris would be going in 2 hours late, there were tears and cries of how unfair it was that he couldn't go although he wanted to, and Chris got to go but didn't want to! About an hour later, though, the Portland Public Schools decided to close schools all day because of the expected storm this afternoon.

The whole Northwest has been dumped on--apparently Spokane was hit by 12 inches yesterday and expects that much again today, and Seattle has virtually come to a standstill because of all the accidents and chaos up there. Here in Oregon, our winter weather seems to be more prolonged and a bit less frenetic. The snow is more slow and steady, instead of all in one day. But I am SO ready for it to melt and for life to get back to normal!!!

I asked my colleague in Anchorage yesterday whether she just cracks up when she hears about our lives coming to a standstill when we have cold weather, while she's well accustomed to temperatures of zero and below. She did say it made her chuckle a little, although we agreed that Alaska is much better prepared for this type of weather--in terms of deicing and salting procedures, in addition to each Alaskan's own preparedness situation. (For example, they have gadgets that turn on car heaters in advance of going into one's car--to warm it up first! And I'm sure their houses are better insulated than ours!)

But enough whining. I know there are far more important things to whine about than snow and ice. Thanks for letting me vent. I blogged earlier this year about my guilty not-so-crazy-about attitude toward dogs (yes, I know, aren't I horrible?), and I guess days of snowy weather is another thing that makes me put on my whining hat!

I should have ventured out to take more photos of our winter wonderland, and I will try to do that in the next few days if we get more snow...but here are two I did take the other day, from the relative protected perch of the back door! :)


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