The last week has been interesting here in the great PNW. This is an area that is not particularly well know for massive snow falls. In fact, it is not uncommon to not have any snow at all during the winter. Or at least that’s what I’m told. Of the last five winters I have spent here, three of them have had fairly significant snowfall at least once. In any case, about a week ago, we started hearing whispers of a mammoth winter snowstorm that would be barreling down upon us. Soon it was all that folks could talk about. This last Saturday, I was out in the car, and it began to snow, and it snowed hard and fast for a good while. By the time I had gotten home from my trip, there was about an inch of snow on the ground. Folks began to get excited.
Of course, as is often the case around here, snow doesn’t last that long. By Sunday afternoon, all the snow had melted. There were spits of flakes now and again, but nothing major. But, the meteorologists told us, the big one is coming. At work on Monday, folks began making plan for what we would do for the BIG ONE that came on Monday night. Schools were cancelled for Tuesday morning in anticipation. It was all that anybody was talking about. The evening news spent 45 minutes of its 60-minute broadcast talking about snow and how bad it was going to be.
But when Tuesday morning came, I looked out the window and saw green grass. There had been no snow overnight. At least not where I lived. So, I went into work, a little disappointed. I know better than to buy into that whole “excited about snow” thing (it comes from living in Michigan…the novelty wears off quickly). Nevertheless, I found myself buying into the excitement. SNOW DAY! So, it made working on Tuesday all the more difficult, since I had been expected not to have to go.
Tuesday night, after some more flurries here and there, the news folks were still warning about the horrendous snow storm we would be getting. Again, the news spent 45 minutes of their hour-long broadcast talking about the snow we would be getting tomorrow. Again, schools and businesses were announcing closures in anticipation. And again, by the time I went to bed at midnight, the ground was still green.
Fortunately, this morning when I woke up, it was white. We had gotten about 2 inches of snow where I live and got probably another two inches throughout the day. A bit less than the 12-18” that had been estimated, but when it comes to snow, I’ve learned that everyone here exaggerates. I chose to work from home because, hey, everyone else is, so why not. I probably could have come into the office, but since nobody else was there, why bother?
Luke the Dog™ loves the snow. That is, I believe, proof that dogs are, in fact, of significantly lower intelligence than humans. Humans know better. Most of them anyway. Most humans stay at home in front of a fire with a mug of hot chocolate, wrapped up in a soft blanket, and read a book. Or watch movies. Or play video games. Or bake four dozen pretzel rolls on a whim. There are a few mentally challenged individuals, most of the men, who think that being outside in the snow is fun. Some of them even find frozen lakes, cut a hole in them, and sit around for hours like dumb-asses trying to pull frozen fish out of the water. This is, of course, the definition of stupidity.
Had it been up to me, there would have been no outside time at all. Snow is fine through a window. But my deep-seeded dislike of snow was overridden by my even more deeply-seeded dislike of cleaning up dog poop from a shag rug. (They never go on the laminate…always the rugs). So we went outside a few times. During our lunchtime outing, we met up with some of Luke’s friends: Merlin the Dachshund, Gordon the St. Bernard, Peanut the Chihuahua, and Roxy the Rat Terrier. If dogs had the equivalent of a late night house party while your parents are out of town in a bid to become the most popular kid in school, it would be playing in the snow. Watching them play together almost made the fact that I was voluntarily standing out in the snow freezing my Rastafarian nay-nays off seem not insane. Almost.
And, best of all, by the end of the day he was so pooped from all his romping in the snow that I found him sprawled out on my bed, spread eagle, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and snoring…not unlike a trashy prostitute I…um…knew. Yeah. That’s it…
In any case, chances are I’ll have to go back into the office tomorrow for work because I won’t be able to justify staying home. The snow is supposed to have stopped, and it should begin warming up tomorrow and raining, which will melt the remaining snow quite quickly. It’s all for the best, I suppose. I’d rather do my work at work and my home stuff and home anyway. But I may take the dog into the office with me tomorrow just so I don’t have to drive home to take him out at lunchtime.
So there you have it. The annual Seattle Snow™. May it not happen again until 2013.
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