[...but weren't the couple in that song in the same place while it was "cold outside"? Darn.]
If a picture's worth a thousand words, then it's really too bad that I don't have a digital camera.
Having grown up in Montana, I can remember when eight inches of snow didn't make that much difference in everyday life. Here in Bellingham, however, where I live on the side of a very steep hill and have armed my car for 'the weather' with no more than a frost scraper, eight inches of snow means "snowed in." The bravest and best, attempting the roads around my place right now, would like as not find their cars propelled ditchward by forces outside the control of man.
Despite every danger and disappointment involved in such weather and its effective prevention of any going out or coming in, there's something lovely and peaceful about looking out at a snowstorm from a warm room. Right now, outside the window by my computer chair, the snow is alternately drifting and driving down in dime-sized flakes, and gusts of wind occasionally come by and sweep clouds of it rather gleefully from rooftops and tree branches.
It reminds me of a Thomas Kinkade painting... only it's the wrong time of day for that kind of lighting, and Thomas Kinkade doesn't normally punctuate his sylvan landscapes with cars, wire fences and concrete abutments... but it's beautiful nonetheless.
Well. Since I am snowed in, I think I'll fix something warm to eat, talk to my best friend, do some reading, and play the piano. Maybe see if I can find some candles and pull out my creche. I feel like Christmas :-D
EDIT: But I sure wouldn't want to be traveling right now, like half of America is doing... My parents have already paid a visit to a ditch along I-5, along with half the other people attempting that road anywhere near Bellingham. They weren't hurt, thank God, but they tell me the current traffic speed on the Five is about 10-15 miles per hour, and traction is nonexistent. No good!
We're expecting to get a bad winter here this year. The last few were unusually mild, so we'll probably make up for it in spades this go-round. The first winter Lisa and I were married, we had a horrid snowstorm every Wednesday/Thursday that January and February. Her and I were both teaching and it wrecked havoc on our school schedules.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side though, we were able to film the first footage of Forcery during that winter. When you see the car spinning out of control and Frannie carrying George Lucas across the ice, that was all done our first winter (and that's Lisa playing Frannie in that scene :-)
Glad to hear your parents are okay. Now y'all do the sensible thing and stay out of this mess! :-)
So glad your parents are okay... and I probably saw them without realizing it as we crept along I-5 on our way home from Portland.
ReplyDeleteFinally made it home just a little bit ago, safe and sound and thanking God for getting us up our hill and home.
Stay warm!
hugs,
c
props for using the word "abutment" in a sentence!
ReplyDeleteLisa played Frannie in that scene, Chris? Nice! As soon as I realized what was actually going on there, that scene totally cracked me up.
ReplyDeleteC, I'm so glad you made it safely home. What a mess the roads have been! My parents said that another car was in the ditch 100 yards ahead of them and they counted 14 stuck cars along Highway 20 on the island when they headed home.
Thanks for the props, Jessi! I try :-D