Whipped Cream

Yesterday I waited at the bus stop for my first grader to get off the bus. Another mom was there with her 3 year old daughter. The little girl was so excited to see there was still snow on the ground from the day before. She picked some up and said, "Look mommy, whipped cream!"
The mom said, "No, honey it's snow."
"Yes, it's snow and whipped cream!" said the little girl.
The mom explained that the little girl thinks all of the snow is really whipped cream that falls from the sky. It's like a new kind of manna. Messy but good!

Things I found today

I decided to run some errands after lunch. I found this out my back door.
It's March! In Seattle! It's supposed to be warm! Not snowing!

After dinner I went in the bathroom to get a tissue. This is what I found in the bathroom.

Yes, that is a sink filled with water, soap, dirt, hot wheels cars, and a towel. I'm sure the wet towel is very useful.

And this last picture is what I found on the memory card that was in my camera. It seems that my 5 year took a few pictures of his own. Great close up.

Dear Waste Management

Dear Waste Management (our wonderful garbage collection service),

Thank you so much for your optimistic view on the "weather event" last Thursday. I understand those flurries can be deadly especially when you have an enormous garbage truck on the roads. Those things are so light, I see how it can be easy to lose traction, especially with that whole half an inch of accumulation. I just don't know how the buses managed to pick up the kids and take them to school that day. You were very wise to take the day off. And not come out to pick up the trash for an entire week.

The offer to let your customers put out "extra" bags of trash next to the designated trash cans was a great idea. The squirrels, rats and other animals really appreciate it. I truly enjoyed cleaning up pieces of trash strewn all over the sidewalk and streets as a result of the free trash buffet in our neighborhood last night. And the rain just made it that much more fun.

It was nice of you to remind me of the time back in December when we got 8 inches of snow and the trash wasn't picked up for 3 weeks. But you still charged us for a full month of trash "service." The way you collect trash and recycle gives new meaning to the word, "service."

Thanks again. Can't wait to see what creative excuses ideas you have for spring.

Mrs. Cookie

It Doesn't Snow in Seattle

When I moved to Seattle 3 years ago, I was told that "it doesn't snow in Seattle." We had a snowstorm in December and schools were closed for a week. I was told that only happens once every hundred years or so. So far this winter I wrote about snow here, here, and here.



A hundred years goes by quick! My son's school is closed today for snow.

Cabin Fever

I haven't left my house since Saturday. Tomorrow it will be exactly one week. They said it would rain today and all of the snow would melt. It didn't rain. It snowed. They say tomorrow will be in the 40's. I'm not holding my breath. I'm going to start making tick marks on the wall. How many more days till spring anyway????

Only Thing Open is the Snow!

This weekend has been busy and now I'm tired! Yesterday we wanted to take the kids swimming. Everyone got changed into their bathing suits. I packed bags with towels and a change of clothes. We drove to the pool and found that it was closed for "chlorine issues." I don't really know what that means, but it didn't sound good.

Today we wanted to take a trail that we took last year to the ice cave. The ice cave forms every year from June through October. It has something to do with the way the mountains form and the way the snow melts. It's really neat and the kids have been asking to go back. So we packed lunches and a change of clothes for the kids (just in case) and we drove over an hour to the ice cave trail. Guess what... It was closed! The bridge was washed out by a storm over the winter and the snow hadn't melted enough yet to form the ice cave. The park ranger we spoke with suggested that we try back in October.

So we drove a little more and found another trail that was closed because the road was out. And a little farther we found a trail that was open! I checked in our book of local trails for kids and this trail was supposed to be very good for kids. So we got out of the car and put on our jackets and the first thing we found at the entrance to the trail was a pile of snow.

We walked about 3/4 of a mile to this lake. Here is a picture of me with the kids.

Then we had to walk back down the trail. This was more like skiing without the skies. The kids loved it. They slid down on their bottoms most of the way. My younger son said the trail was a lot of fun and then he asked, "Can we come back here in the summer?" I assured him that it is summer, but there was no convincing him, because there is only snow in the winter. He also wanted hot chocolate when he got home.