I woke up the sound of hail hitting my window this morning. It hailed hard, coming down sideways, for about 8 minutes. My landlord's grandchildren had put up a tent in front of the garage a couple of nights ago...I don't know if any of them had been inside when the hail started. The weight of the ice pellets collapsed one side of it! The street was covered in white and the cars passing by seemed to be sliding a bit...
By the time I was dressed and ready to leave for work, the hail had vanished. Tonight we have a chance of the first snow of the winter here in the valley...and we thought Spring was here. The cherry trees have been beautiful and the entire valley seems to be decorated in white and pink blossoms. I saw a hummingbird on Tuesday evening.
I thought I'd left the wild weather behind when I left Missouri. The rain comes often, but it's typically gentle, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've heard thunder in the 4 years or so I've been here. I haven't been reduced to begging for a basement to hide in...tornadoes are really rare in Washington, and then usually they occur on the east side of the mountains. The big (hip deep!) snow of last winter only lasted a short while...And the summers don't have the awful humidity I hated back in the midwest.
Still, weather is always changing, hard to predict, and this close to the mountains anything can happen...I wonder if I'll get to go snowtracking in the park this weekend?
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Friday, December 26, 2008
It Can Stop Snowing Now...
I got out for a walk this morning for the first time in a couple of days...except for a short hike to the Post Office on Christmas Eve, I haven't left my apartment since Monday.
I've heard on the Seattle area newscasts that this is only the 10th white Christmas in this area since 1891...seems like we got ALL the snow that was allotted to us in the past 12 days or so. Looking out my window onto the roof line below, there's easily 12-14 inches of powdery white stuff piled up there.
At first I was excited, because the dog tracking project seemed to take off...but then the neighbors stopped walking their dogs down the street. I've been there...when it's too cold or the snow is just too deep to be fun, the dog walks stay pretty close to the front door. And I've found it to be unsafe to be crawling around in the snow at the edge of the road trying to measure tracks as cars slide by.
I've just called in to Ben Franklin at Monroe, and found that I'm not on the schedule for this weekend! I missed working Sunday because I can't find a safe way to get down to highway 203. As much as I hated to call in, I was afraid to try to make it down the hill to the highway. 25 years of working at a hospital where calling in was not an option makes you want to try no matter how stupid, but I'm glad I've learned this: It's not worth risking your life or your car for a few dollars more in the paycheck at the end of the week. I don't think I could have said that before my Residential Program year....funny how the most important lessons you learn are the ones you don't even realize you were enrolled in.
I've heard on the Seattle area newscasts that this is only the 10th white Christmas in this area since 1891...seems like we got ALL the snow that was allotted to us in the past 12 days or so. Looking out my window onto the roof line below, there's easily 12-14 inches of powdery white stuff piled up there.
At first I was excited, because the dog tracking project seemed to take off...but then the neighbors stopped walking their dogs down the street. I've been there...when it's too cold or the snow is just too deep to be fun, the dog walks stay pretty close to the front door. And I've found it to be unsafe to be crawling around in the snow at the edge of the road trying to measure tracks as cars slide by.
I've just called in to Ben Franklin at Monroe, and found that I'm not on the schedule for this weekend! I missed working Sunday because I can't find a safe way to get down to highway 203. As much as I hated to call in, I was afraid to try to make it down the hill to the highway. 25 years of working at a hospital where calling in was not an option makes you want to try no matter how stupid, but I'm glad I've learned this: It's not worth risking your life or your car for a few dollars more in the paycheck at the end of the week. I don't think I could have said that before my Residential Program year....funny how the most important lessons you learn are the ones you don't even realize you were enrolled in.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wild Weather
Coming from Missouri, I'm used to wild spring weather. Having survived 100 year floods last November, and the ugly wind storm that foll0wed in December (2006), I thought I'd seen the worst of Western Washington weather.
Saturday, March 29th, was a busy day for me. I went to Monroe to check out the used book sale at the library...and managed to stay at my 20.00 self-imposed limit. At a dollar a hardback and 50 cents a paperback, I still came home with a box full. It was chilly, but the sun teased by making short-live appearances off and on all morning. I walked in the Skykomish River Park and picked a few stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) for soup. By 2 pm I was ready to head for Carnation, about 18 miles south on Highway 203. The sun was shining. I made a final stop, and drove out of town.
I parked at the Tolt -McDonald parking lot intending to walk along the river and take some pictures of the early blooming shrubs and flowers. I could see the mountains in the distance through some cloud cover. By the time I'd walked 300 yards and had started up the bridge, it started to sleet. I turned and looked over my shoulder. The mountains were invisible! The sleet quickly turned to hail...I changed my mind about crossing the river and decided to walk closer to the parking lot. I was glad to have a pair of light weight knit gloves in my pockets... they quickly got soaked through. The sky got dark, and the wind picked up. So I decided to go to the car and arrive at my bosses' 40th birthday party a bit early.
It rained off an on throughout dinner (the homemade lasagna was wonderful!). Around 7 pm I left in a light rain. It's only 8 miles or so to my Duvall home, and the weather went through some wild rain-to-snow-to sleet changes. The road was a little slick in a few spots. Not that it slowed the other drivers much. But I made it safely home and went upstairs. I put on some dry cloths, and gathered up a bag of trash that needed to go out.
I didn't realize it was snowing humongous flakes of fluffy white snow untill I opened the door and stepped out into it. I watched it snow until midnight. I was expected at Ben Franklin for work the following morning.
The drive to Monroe on Sunday was intense - for the first half mile or so. There were
5 cars off in the ditch on the downhill drive to the highway. Another was pointing up hill in the downhill lane. It had been abandoned there. I'd have turned around and gone home, but there wasn't a safe spot to do it. The highway was fine, and the closer I got to Monroe, the less snow I saw on the ground. The sun came out again.
And it's been out most of today - until time to go home. Just after 5, it started to thunder - soemthing I rarely hear in Washington, and don't miss from Missouri. It hailed...it snowed...I have to stop at the laundromat on my way home...I'll let you know if more weather adventures await.
Saturday, March 29th, was a busy day for me. I went to Monroe to check out the used book sale at the library...and managed to stay at my 20.00 self-imposed limit. At a dollar a hardback and 50 cents a paperback, I still came home with a box full. It was chilly, but the sun teased by making short-live appearances off and on all morning. I walked in the Skykomish River Park and picked a few stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) for soup. By 2 pm I was ready to head for Carnation, about 18 miles south on Highway 203. The sun was shining. I made a final stop, and drove out of town.
I parked at the Tolt -McDonald parking lot intending to walk along the river and take some pictures of the early blooming shrubs and flowers. I could see the mountains in the distance through some cloud cover. By the time I'd walked 300 yards and had started up the bridge, it started to sleet. I turned and looked over my shoulder. The mountains were invisible! The sleet quickly turned to hail...I changed my mind about crossing the river and decided to walk closer to the parking lot. I was glad to have a pair of light weight knit gloves in my pockets... they quickly got soaked through. The sky got dark, and the wind picked up. So I decided to go to the car and arrive at my bosses' 40th birthday party a bit early.
It rained off an on throughout dinner (the homemade lasagna was wonderful!). Around 7 pm I left in a light rain. It's only 8 miles or so to my Duvall home, and the weather went through some wild rain-to-snow-to sleet changes. The road was a little slick in a few spots. Not that it slowed the other drivers much. But I made it safely home and went upstairs. I put on some dry cloths, and gathered up a bag of trash that needed to go out.
I didn't realize it was snowing humongous flakes of fluffy white snow untill I opened the door and stepped out into it. I watched it snow until midnight. I was expected at Ben Franklin for work the following morning.
The drive to Monroe on Sunday was intense - for the first half mile or so. There were
5 cars off in the ditch on the downhill drive to the highway. Another was pointing up hill in the downhill lane. It had been abandoned there. I'd have turned around and gone home, but there wasn't a safe spot to do it. The highway was fine, and the closer I got to Monroe, the less snow I saw on the ground. The sun came out again.
And it's been out most of today - until time to go home. Just after 5, it started to thunder - soemthing I rarely hear in Washington, and don't miss from Missouri. It hailed...it snowed...I have to stop at the laundromat on my way home...I'll let you know if more weather adventures await.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Welcome 2008!
I've decided to start keeping a weather journal again. The journals were an important part of the WAS experience. At least 3 times a day, I would log on to the local weather report and take notes, then journal what I observed about the weather, and how animals, birds, and even plants reacted. After graduation, I got lazy, and haven't kept one since June.
At 8 am it's 36 degrees, the humidity is at 80%, and the sky is light, with high, streaky clouds. There's a brisk breeze bouncing the tree tops around. We are under a wind advisory until 10pm. There's a bit of snow on the mountain peak that I can see from my front window. I love living where the mountains are close enough to see every day. Stevens Pass is 40 miles to the east...if I were a skier, that's where I'd be today.
Some years back, we (the Rat B*****d and I) went to Colorado with friends who had access to a cabin near Monarch Pass in the Sangre de Cristo range. The Wet Mountain Valley is still one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. There was a small ski resort called Conquistador at the little town of Westcliff. The first year was a spur-of -the-moment thing. We took group lessons and I stunk. I struggled the whole weekend to stay upright on the skis, and found the ski lifts to be a really scary experience. Conquistador was on the flight path of the Air Force Academy, and planes would zip just over the tree tops at high speed, flying so low that the pilot's faces were visible for the fraction of a second that they were overhead. When sitting on what amounted to a moving, suspended park bench, I swear I could see them smile.
The most interesting thing I learned about skiing that first year was that the young, good-looking instructors gave the private lessons. I started saving money right away so that I could get a day's instruction the next year. On our next trip, I happily paid for a day's lesson...her name was Monique, and the guys all thought she was very attractive. I know that she earned her money that day. I lost count of how many times she picked me up out of the snow, and how many times she drug me off the ski lift and out of the way so the next person wouldn't run me down. At he end of the day we were both exhausted...but the last run down the mountain (green bunny slope) was amazing...By being slow, I was the last person on the trail, snow was falling, and it was absolutely silent. That was the only good ski run I had in 3 years of trying.
The next year, we had a horrible experience in a white-out on the road, and I never put on skis again. I'll tell you about that in a later post on inutition.
6:30 pm- I'm home from my part-time job at Ben Franklin's here in Monroe...the wind is still gusty, and the area remains under an advisory. I can't see stars like I did last night...the sky is hazy, the temperature is 37 degrees, and the humidity is 75%.
At 8 am it's 36 degrees, the humidity is at 80%, and the sky is light, with high, streaky clouds. There's a brisk breeze bouncing the tree tops around. We are under a wind advisory until 10pm. There's a bit of snow on the mountain peak that I can see from my front window. I love living where the mountains are close enough to see every day. Stevens Pass is 40 miles to the east...if I were a skier, that's where I'd be today.
Some years back, we (the Rat B*****d and I) went to Colorado with friends who had access to a cabin near Monarch Pass in the Sangre de Cristo range. The Wet Mountain Valley is still one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. There was a small ski resort called Conquistador at the little town of Westcliff. The first year was a spur-of -the-moment thing. We took group lessons and I stunk. I struggled the whole weekend to stay upright on the skis, and found the ski lifts to be a really scary experience. Conquistador was on the flight path of the Air Force Academy, and planes would zip just over the tree tops at high speed, flying so low that the pilot's faces were visible for the fraction of a second that they were overhead. When sitting on what amounted to a moving, suspended park bench, I swear I could see them smile.
The most interesting thing I learned about skiing that first year was that the young, good-looking instructors gave the private lessons. I started saving money right away so that I could get a day's instruction the next year. On our next trip, I happily paid for a day's lesson...her name was Monique, and the guys all thought she was very attractive. I know that she earned her money that day. I lost count of how many times she picked me up out of the snow, and how many times she drug me off the ski lift and out of the way so the next person wouldn't run me down. At he end of the day we were both exhausted...but the last run down the mountain (green bunny slope) was amazing...By being slow, I was the last person on the trail, snow was falling, and it was absolutely silent. That was the only good ski run I had in 3 years of trying.
The next year, we had a horrible experience in a white-out on the road, and I never put on skis again. I'll tell you about that in a later post on inutition.
6:30 pm- I'm home from my part-time job at Ben Franklin's here in Monroe...the wind is still gusty, and the area remains under an advisory. I can't see stars like I did last night...the sky is hazy, the temperature is 37 degrees, and the humidity is 75%.
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