Let it Snow....Now Make it STOP

I live in Seattle (tagline: we don't tan, we rust) where we live with near-constant precipitation, in the form of rain. Here’s a Seattle quiz:

Q: What do you call two straight days of rain in Seattle?
A:  A weekend.

Q: What does daylight-savings time mean in Seattle?
A:  An extra hour of rain.

Q: What did the Seattle native say to the Pillsbury Doughboy?
A:  Nice tan.

Yes, we know how to deal with rain in Seattle, where “the fabric of our lives” is Gore-tex. But yesterday, just a week before Christmas, it didn’t rain, it snowed. Not only did it snow, at times it fell even faster than the recent stock market.

Of course, snow is beautiful, and can be romantic, like when Bing Crosby croons “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” in the classic movie, "Holiday Inn." The movie features the fantasy version of a beautiful snowfall, where the treetops glisten, and a horse-driven carriage jingles through the snow.

Snow is great, unless you have to go somewhere, and you don’t happen to own a horse-drawn carriage. Snow is slippery, and a nightmare to walk or drive on, as I tried to explain to my dogs yesterday.  Still, they insisted on their daily walk. So I went “Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland” and struggled to keep from “Slip Slidin’ Away.

Driving is even worse, and around here, we aren’t prepared for snow. We don’t have a lot of snowplows or other kinds of snow removal equipment. In Seattle, wanting something “de-iced” means you’d like your cupcake without frosting.

Here, it’s best to sit home and watch the news. The snowstorm is the BIG story, and coverage is on every channel. News anchors warn us to stay off the roads.  “DON’T drive to work!” they add, broadcasting from the studio to which they drove to work. Then they show reporters who have driven around the city to show people who shouldn’t be driving around the city, as their film crews capture entertaining footage of  motorists playing “Bumper Cars.”

Of course the kids love the snow, because there’s no school. “I’m so excited!” they exclaim, until about 10 am, when they switch to “I’m so bored!”

I think everyone here is ready for the snow to go away, and the end of the BIG story called  "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Comments

[Beverly]

I will find some comfort in this after I survive the mess that is coming this weekend.Nightmare before Christmas is the perfect description but I would expect nothing less from my favorite writer.