2019 Snow Pocalypse

 

This year started out here in the Pacific Northwest with quite a mild fall and winter.  We were having a great time enjoying that weather and commiserated with our extended families about the historic Arctic Blast (Polar Vortex) of cold that invaded the Midwest and brought even that section of the country to a halt with temperatures of -28 degrees F for our families. Then came February 2nd --  Groundhog Day where Punxsutawney Phil (the little rat) assured us of an early  Spring. The next day (Super Bowl Sunday) it started snowing. It started accumulating and by 10:00 in the evening we were getting some significant inches.  I discovered that my phone has a mind of its own regarding stills and videos!!  So I ended up with lots of teeny videos and no stills. So I can't use the photo taken Sunday evening!

On Monday morning the 4th at 7:30 we continued with the first round of snow until we had a full six inches by the end of the day.

Feb. 4th at 7:40 in the morning - quite a first snowfall of the year,

On the 5th at 1:00 in the afternoon we got a little break and some sunshine!  I planned a work trip up north for the 6th and the roads to the freeway turned out to be a bit of a mess but the highway was clear.  Usually about this time we get those nice warm breezes off the Pacific and soon our snow melts away.  Rather than the typical cycle this time we got more cold and more snow.  A lot of the original snow had melted or settled but round two was on its way.

   My husband woke me up at 2:00 in the morning on the 9th and said I "had" to get up and take a look! A couple of days before he had suggested the same thing but I figured it  would look the same in the morning so what was the rush!  But this time I cooperated - like to do that every now and then.  "Out of My Window I can See" across the row of backyards.

At the same 2:00 AM summons --, across the cul-de-sac.  The large Japanese maple is very weighed down with the snow.  

 Five hours later on the 9th - another brighter view of the soft fluffy flakes. 

 Another view of the front yard 9th at 7:30 AM 

Around the neighborhood on a snow day!

 Since there was no trash pickup that week because of the snow, the whole neighborhood has photos of the garbage cans waiting in vain on the curb.

Another view of  the 9th in the morning

9th - temperature gauge tucked out of the way.  this was at my parents home for decades and it still works very well! 

My Husband's picturesque Weeping Japanese Maple Art 

 

The snow system kept on coming and our church cancelled services for Sunday because of the steep  hills to try to get up to get to the building AND an even more  precarious concern of stopping at the light at the bottom of the grade when driving back home. So we stayed  home and stayed safe.

By Sunday evening the 10th the blanket had become thicker and thicker - around 10 PM

 10th in the evening -- the snow is not built up from shoveling snow.  The footprints are mostly the dog and cat and occasionally the husband.  It was still snowing!

Feb. 11th in the morning

11th at 5:00PM

 

 

11th 7:30 PM - looking at the snow in the driveway waiting behind the car tucked nicely inside the dry garage.  I often say that my favorite room in the house is the garage.  I never have to scrape the windows or get rained on while unloading the groceries. 

 Across the cul-de-sac

 11th -- well look at that.  Super Bowl was over but our Seahawks Wreath was still up!  The only color in this series!  Lots of little icicles hanging there above the wreath.

Feb. 12th at 7:30 AM

Obviously we've had a little melting here and there!

Snow covered backyard view.

 

 Truck with an all-around berm of snow! 

Pretty much the height of our snow.  A lot of work to remove it!

 12th at 7:PM.  I had been considering the 13th for  my weekly trip north but I think not.  I think this was the full depth of our snowfall.  Just shy of 16 inches in the center and this does not take into account some melting the week before, settling and evaporation.  I put a contract out on Punxsutawney Phil and started hoping for spring. He really is cute but  his job skills are abysmal!

After this things slowly began melting. Actually, was very happy that it stayed chilly and that we didn't have flooding all over the region!  We've done that on occasion too!

 

 

The deck had been shoveled off as it began to melt -- 13th in the afternoon.

February 15th - slowly the snow disappears!

The squirrels even seemed to get into the act and created a snow-squirrel of their very own design! This was completely undesigned or touched by human hands.

15th - snowmelt is picking up speed

After ten days I venture out.  The rest of my family had been coming and going but I just worked away with all the heat blowing and coffee dripping in the pot!  Why risk life and limb when you can stay home and get just as  much done. 

 Finally the mossy yard is restored to it's splendor and the regular spring bulbs continue to find their way to the surface with hope for the warmer days ahead.

 Now it's the 22nd and there are more predictions of snow for next week.  I hope the forecast is overblown.  NOO SNOOOOW

This  may be the first time that I EVER recall a February without at least one warm weekend.

 

THE WINTER OF OUR PETS!

As usual, a bit of time has gone by since I had a chance to add to this blog.   Most of what ends up here in this blog is of general extended and historical family interests but sometimes it is simply miscellany such as this commemorating how our furry family members add to our lives in so many positive ways.

Christmas Day - wow, it has been a while -- Baxter was a part of our annual reading of The Littlest Angel - a wonderful story and our tradition since the girls were infants.  This year Baxter got into the act!  He started out a little bit happy to be on a lap, but by the time we got to the end, he was looking more resigned and less like he had scored. 

I generally start my days (when I don't have early appointments away from home) with my coffee and morning devotions. It's always a better day when I get God's perspective on life. If I can't read, I'll listen to Christian music on the radio while commuting, but my favorite time is in the mornings in my husband's chair.  In the photo above he was not in his chair either.  I was in his chair because I like it best.  He is very tolerant of me liking his chair best -- wonderful man.  Well, this one morning I sat down to read and got the dog to join me.  Not to be outdone the cats converged as well.  Usually whichever cat gets there first holds his territory.  And if the dog is around he often nips at the cats and chases them away.  But this one morning they called a truce and got along on the lap. 

My husbands perspective - if you can't see Baxter, he's the reflective green lights in a black background.

My perspective - and this is great -- all the little furry friends are WARM. 

 It's like having a lap full of little hand warmers. 

 

Last week we had a different experience with one of our furry family members.  One of the flaws of Caspian (the cat on the armrest in the top of the two photos and in the bottom right corner on the 2nd) will absolutely not use a litter box.  To my knowledge he has never used a litter box.  The problem with that is that he always has to be let outside.  Most of the time that works well and we just remember to put him out.  It used to be when we went to Portland for the weekend that his bowl of food and his furry body were left outside on the deck and Duncan (the cat by my feet in the first photo and on the top right of the second photo) was inside out of the weather.  We usually don't forget, but every now and then Caspian gets stuck inside.  In his defense, he contains his "accidents" to a spot in the laundry room downstairs or he does his business on the run in the main bathroom.  It is extraordinarily annoying, but he doesn't leave little presents around the house which is good. Otherwise he probably would never see the light of day.  Anyway, last week Kurt came home to discover that a little present had been left on the rug in the bathroom.  He took it out and shook it off the rug into the backyard  and left the rug out there to wait for a lone wash in the machine.  What he had not noticed but what I discovered when I came home was THIS!

Apparently from seeing people in action, he figured out that while he had no idea what people DID with this roll when they were done relieving themselves, he knew that he was supposed to be doing SOMETHING with it.  I took the  photo in the bathroom, but he had shredded this down the hall, probably chasing after it.  He had taken it out of a basket of replacement rolls which sits next to the toilet.  In the ten years that we have had cats in this house, we have NEVER had a cat tear apart a roll of toilet paper before.  Hopefully he will remember that this was not a successful attempt and not waste more.

 

The last of our winter animal events for this entry was today.   For the past few weeks while the rest of the country has been in the cold grip of an icy winter, we have had relatively mild temperatures.  But just to make sure that we knew it was still winter, we had a relapse of earlier snow this year and woke to a beautiful winter wonderland. 

 My husband had to go down and get the hummingbird food so we could warm it up for our little feathered friends.  The photo below is lousy, but shows the instant interest that the little hummers had in warm and tasty nectar.

Baxter surveys his kingdom, checking out and barking at songbirds, squirrels, crows, and cats (his own and others). It's always nice to have a white background for the little dog so everyone can actually see how cute he is!  A wonderful snow day to be a pampered pup!!



Snowy Feathered Friends

Just a few more photos of our weather with some of our feathered friends featured! Above is my little hummingbird friend at my office window feeder. I couldn't believe it snowed again ALL DAY today. A week of snow!!

This little Robin is enjoying the heated bird bath.

We've been happy to have a Varied Thrush hanging about in our yard -- we think he lives in the "bramble" in the corner of the yard that is covered with currant, thimbleberry and grasses.

Flocks of birds have been hanging out waiting to cycle through the feeding station!

Snowzilla

OK, the northwest is not known for being a great place to drive when it snows. Of course that could be because there are steep hills all over the place. No big flat areas like Ohio where the road does not rise to meet you, but instead lies there flat as a pancake. Besides, we have very little snow removal equipment. But there is no need to worry - some days are just made for staying home. This wasn't one of them, but after running errands - bank, post office, bank again, grocery store, video store and back home now it is time to sit in the room and enjoy the view.

Out of my window I can see. . .well, I actually went outside for the photos so there wouldn't be the glass distortions. It's really fun that these appear to be almost "black and white" photos, but they are not.


What a beautiful day. Unfortunately, my husband's work has all been cancelled, so it is a pricy view. But since it doesn't happen too often it's not too much of a problem. We would not want to have mid-west winters out here. On the other hand, if we did he would probably be adding "snow removal" to his "pruning and garden maintenance" job description.

The birds are eating food like crazy. The humming birds are as cute as ever. Happy snow day!