Winter was a very different experience for us last year at this time.
We usually ferry over into Seattle on Sundays, but not today. Snow is sticking much more on that side of the water than it is out here on the island. I'm currenty getting text messages from a friend in the passenger seat of a car making it's way back to Seattle from the mountains. She and her little family thought they would drive out of Seattle to the snow for a fun winter week-end. Little did they know they would be driving back to snow through snow for half of today! She describes Seattle roads as a series of parking lots at the moment. So glad I decided to keep us snug on our island today.
The first time we we lived in Seattle, after a lifetime of Minnesota, I was working as administrator at a small private Waldorf school. It was my job to determine whether or not we would close our little school due to snow! Most of our students commuted at least 20 miles to school from various parts of the East side. What a hilarious lesson this was for a true Minnesotan. In Minnesota, kids will sometimes stand on 6 foot tall snowbanks in below zero weather making bets to see if a school bus will make it on time. There's rarely a question about whether or not it will arrive at all. Minnesotans know just what to do with snow, and move through it. If there was ever a time we couldn't get out of our driveway back home, even after the worst of blizzards, there was almost always a helpful neighbor with a newer snow blower ready to lend a hand. Here in Seattle, the threat of a light dusting nearly shuts down the city. At first, I laughed. Then, I tried driving down a steep hill from Bellevue to Redmond in a mild drizzle. I discovered it's really no laughing matter. Seattle is not equipped with sand and salt trucks, so it is just an entirely different scene.
Last January in Minneaoplis, we were getting hit with back to back blizzards, so I can't say I've really missed snow yet. A certain ten year old, however, had a lot of enthusiasm this morning about getting out there. Most of it has melted already, but one well preserved miniature snowman sits next to the frozen fruit in our freezer as I type, waiting to be proof that it really did finally snow on Bainbridge Island.
