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| Rob's son, sledding down a Shoreline street |
By Rob Oxford
I must confess to being a bit puzzled by the reaction to wintry weather here in the Puget Sound.
In particular ... snow.
I for one welcome the occasional accumulation of frozen rain. I like the way it looks as it's falling from the sky.
I for one welcome the occasional accumulation of frozen rain. I like the way it looks as it's falling from the sky.
I like the big, fat, fluffy flakes. The ones large enough to actually appreciate their individual uniqueness.
I like the way it builds up on the branches of the trees, on the fence posts, on the hoods of parked cars and the silence it can bring. I like to see children building snowmen, Dads pulling sleds and Moms who surprise you at the door with hot chocolate.
When the neighborhood is blanketed in white, traffic stops, and dogs don't bark. Home improvement projects have to be postponed and hopefully, at least for the kids, school is cancelled. I suppose for some a snow day is an inconvenience, but they happen so infrequently.
Quite often after what most in our neck of the woods will consider a devastating accumulation of 2" to 3", one will find themselves at the grocery store stocking up on life-saving supplies like a snow shovel and chili. Then, like clockwork, someone in line behind you will say; "I'm from the Midwest and believe me, this isn't snow" and honestly it's not. It's likely that before you remember that you left the shovel in the trunk, the snow will have melted.
If this were Chicago, Dubuque, Cheyenne, Cleveland or a million other places, I could understand being tired of snow in February, but we get so little. Yes, if you have to drive in the snow it can be nerve-racking. But seriously, isn't driving around Seattle in the middle of Summer just as nerve-racking? And don't get me started on studded tires. If you're not driving from Shoreline to Ellensburg on a weekly basis, you don't need them.
Spring is just around the corner, as is the rain. So the next time you hear the weatherman say "there's a chance of snow with the possibility of some accumulation", enjoy it, embrace it and be thankful you don't live in Ithaca.
Yours Truly,
Yukon Cornelius
When the neighborhood is blanketed in white, traffic stops, and dogs don't bark. Home improvement projects have to be postponed and hopefully, at least for the kids, school is cancelled. I suppose for some a snow day is an inconvenience, but they happen so infrequently.
Quite often after what most in our neck of the woods will consider a devastating accumulation of 2" to 3", one will find themselves at the grocery store stocking up on life-saving supplies like a snow shovel and chili. Then, like clockwork, someone in line behind you will say; "I'm from the Midwest and believe me, this isn't snow" and honestly it's not. It's likely that before you remember that you left the shovel in the trunk, the snow will have melted.
If this were Chicago, Dubuque, Cheyenne, Cleveland or a million other places, I could understand being tired of snow in February, but we get so little. Yes, if you have to drive in the snow it can be nerve-racking. But seriously, isn't driving around Seattle in the middle of Summer just as nerve-racking? And don't get me started on studded tires. If you're not driving from Shoreline to Ellensburg on a weekly basis, you don't need them.
Spring is just around the corner, as is the rain. So the next time you hear the weatherman say "there's a chance of snow with the possibility of some accumulation", enjoy it, embrace it and be thankful you don't live in Ithaca.
Yours Truly,
Yukon Cornelius
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