Snowmageddon, day 2

We left it yesterday with the question "do I brave the snowy streets to go to the Seahawks game, or do I stay home and watch it on TV?" And the answer was a resounding "stay home and watch it on TV." When I got up it was lightly snowing and there were about 6 or 7 inches on the ground. No, I didn't measure it, and yes, I am a man, so it very well could have been 4. The point is, there was plenty of snow. And it had drifted thanks to the winds. And then at some point in the night the snow had shifted to freezing rain, so the powder had a nice 1/8 to 1/4 inch crust on the top. Very pleasant to crunch through, I must say.

Well, after putting out the hummingbird feeder and taking a few pictures, I went back inside to find Paige ready to head out skiing. So I followed her out the front and took a few more pictures, then shoveled the stairs and the walk - a futile effort given the huge amount of snow that we'd get the rest of the day.

That shoveling, plus watching a couple other cars crunch through the snow up the road and listening to two or three more not make it up the hills nearby had me leaning toward skipping the game. Then my pal Chico e-mailed to say that there was no way he was going to make it around the lake to join me at the game, so I'd be flying solo. And while that's not usually a bad thing, going to the game in severe weather is always more fun when you're with a friend. So I wimped out and stayed home, wrapping Christmas presents while watching the snow fall and the Seahawks manhandle the Jets (if a 13-3 win can be called "manhandling"). And it was the right choice. When I finally ventured out on the roads at about 4:30 (the time I would have been coming home from the game) it was wicked slick and I thought at a couple points that I probably should have put on chains.

But enough of that...to the pictures!

The back yard first thing this morning


Snow drifting under the rhododendron outside the back door


Patio chairs in the back yard


Proof we're lucky to get out of the house alive...the snow had drifted right up to the back door. That drift must have been 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep!


The railing by the front steps


A sweet cornice of snow hanging off the roof, held on mainly by the sheet of ice from the freezing rain


Paige ready to go ski through the 'hood


A rose on ice