Severe Weather Alert

That's what my browser plugin (ForecastFox) reads. I wouldn't call it "severe", but rather "snow". It's not like it's a blizzard or anything.

I know that this isn't a big deal to people in northern climates, but for the second time this week we're getting snow in Monroe. Since I've been here, the area averages about 3 days per year (almost always in December) when we actually see snow. That doesn't mean that it always sticks, either. Of course, we can drive into the mountains to experience really large snowfalls, but down closer to Puget Sound it's a rare experience. This week we've seen it hit twice.

Thursday, the snow came in the afternoon. People either panicked or wanted to play and took off from work early. Traffic was horrible by 2 in the afternoon. An inch or two accumulated. By 10 PM or so the snow stopped falling and by midnight or so it began melting. I was almost amongst the people who took off from work that night to play in the snow. I already had 40 hours in during the week and that night was all OT, but the lure of throwing snowballs was strong. As it was, a couple of us spent some free time doing just that during lulls in the work.

I just got up about 20 minutes ago and it is snowing again. Saturday morning, day off from work, peaceful outside when I went to get the paper. Nothing much to do today. I've got to take Shawn into Bellevue so she can work on a test at the public library (a take home sort of thing that has to be done within a larger library...have I mentioned that Shawn recently became the chairperson of the Monroe Public Library Board? I'm proud of her). I've got 2 hours to kill during which I'll do a little grocery shopping, a little CD perusing, and a lot of watching people during the mad holiday rush. Most of my gifts are homemade so I'm pretty much done - except for the late mailing part, of course. But that will not happen today and now is the time to type my friends and look out my window as the snow falls gently to the ground. Big white flakes, heavy with moisture, perfect for snow-women and snowballs. Seeing a van drive down our street disturbs my peace as it makes tracks in the pure white roadway. I want to go out and curse the transgressor, but think better of it. I'm off to go downstairs, make and sip tea, and watch the flakes fall into my backyard from which no roadway can be seen.

Enjoy the day.