Note: Lots of pics mean this post is better viewed off mobile.
It is Day... oh.
Oh, I've lost track of the day. Well, in any case (she says bravely), it's the second week of this group of winter storms. We've had worse, but in Seattle-ish, these only happen every few years. We haven't the infrastructure in plows and sanders to help as they do in the Midwest. And our area has at least seventeen microclimates - we have two mountain ranges with an inland sea nestled between them and that gets messy. There are hills and winding country roads everywhere. I live - as you know, Dearest Diary - in a small pocket of drained swampland at the bottom of a hill out in the country.
A black cat is zigzagging across the snowy street.
The squirrels are going to be angry about the lost tree limbs on The Big Tree out front.
There have been some good times, with board games and snowpeople and neighbors pulling together to help. Our local school district has had grab-n-go meals (and they'll bring it to you if you can't get out and they can).
We have traded baked goods for child care, and someone with safer transportation picked up some groceries for us while they were out. We're staying warm and the kids and I are all getting some educational time in. Lizzy's reading the book Abby gave her for Christmas.
As I write this, a few brave souls are out moving cars out from under trees and shoveling off their low-pitch roofs. I can hear chainsaws and snowblowers in the distance. The kids are getting some exercise and fresh air playing with the neighbors.
But it's still snowing.
Horrible things are happening.
Tree limbs are down. I'm afraid to check my apple trees, much less my grapevine.
Schools were canceled for the fifth day in the last seven (and the other two were partial days). Our Governor has declared a state of emergency.
I can't work my primary job (because the schools are closed) so I'm working my second job for the schools (which I do from home, thank Itztlacoliuhqui). It doesn't pay as much.
And this particular project is hard (but I love it).
A good friend who never does things like this snow-splained us all.
My pharmacist just texted me to let me know my prescription is in. Yeah, that's not happening today.
Knowing it's likely down to climate change pisses me off. Continuing to call it global warming (and smugly pointing out that it's not warm, so it can't be global warming) to avoid the reality that we are in an emergency is just stupid asshattery by way of circular logic.
Fresh fruit is running out, and we just opened our third loaf of bread. We're down to canned corn and frozen green beans. Thank Hestia that Abby likes to bake.
The power keeps going out as tree limbs fall on the lines; thirty seconds here, an hour there. I hope the power line people are as safe as possible. On that note, stay safe, everyone.
If you don't hear from us, we've succumbed to scurvy.
Stay safe.
