Sunday, December 02, 2007

It Got A Little Slick, But I'm Here To Tell About It!...

As predicted, snow began falling from the skies over Seattle around 1:00PM today...just in time for me to head out and make my way to work. Fortunately for me, MOST people seemed smart enough to stay home today and watch the weather from the safety of their living rooms, so my drive in was not too treacherous...the snow hadn't even begun to "stick" by the time I arrived at the downtown office building.

However, over the course of just two, short hours, the streets of downtown became blanketed with a heavy snow...the wet and wild kind any kid would love to get their hands in. I was still able to watch this event from the warmth and safety of my office building, staring in awe at the misfortunes of a few who took "tumbles" trying to walk their way uphill in the slushy slickness. And this is when the first "call" came in...


Not only did I have to skid my way out of a parking garage that sits half way on a hillside and steer in a car that probably doesn't weigh as much as I do (Toyota Prius), but I also had to make my way over the floating bridge to an emergency room on what is commonly called the "East Side"...anything really that sits on the "other" side of Lake Washington is called the "East Side". Seattlites are just snobby that way...LOL


My partner and I breathed a sigh of relief to find ourselves safely tucked in a parking space outside said emergency room. We completed our task at the ER and made our way BACK across the bridge to downtown Seattle. By this time (around 7:00PM), the large, falling flakes of snow had changed into a mixture of snow and rain. Although COLDER THAN A WELL DIGGER'S A$$ outside, we managed to drudge our way through assessments and return to the warmth of our bat cave unscathed...all in all, it was a pretty decent night at work in spite of the weather. This was my thinking until I returned HOME from work around midnight.


I easily drove my car home on the now damp streets, only finding a bit of slickness on the hillside of my own driveway, and parked my car on the cement. I was anxious to get inside and "warm up" a bit, having been out in the cold again for 20 minutes. Much to my surprise, when I opened my front door, a near Arctic BLAST hit me in my already cold cheeks! It was also COLDER THAN A WELL DIGGER'S A$$ in my HOME!?!?


After checking a few electric powered clocks, it became painfully apparent my electricity had been off for several hours...most likely a product of heavy snow on power lines...which meant NO HEAT had been circulating within the walls of the hut. It was a whoppin' 52 degrees inside!!!


My cat looked at me with a hateful stare when I closed the front door behind me...it seems even her fur coat was not sufficient heat for the hours she must have spent huddled in the cold and dark alone. She promptly attacked my ankle as a statement of her disgust.


Tomorrow, we are expecting a bit warmer temperatures...just in time for another front to blow through. This next bout of weather is only supposed to bring flooding though...no more snow for awhile, thank goodness. And THIS time I will plan a bit better for my cat...I've put out a tiny inflated raft just in case she needs to seek an emergency floatation device...she should be fine...right?...

6 comments:

Sharon said...

I can totally relate. We got hit with the freezing rain & sleet yesterday and or power went out also. Not too much snow. It is warmer this morning so now everything is slush. Happy Winter

Bubbie said...

Ok, I'd like to be cooler, but that is ridiculous! BRRRRRRRRRR.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you cat is the blanket type, but we leave throw blankets on our couch so that if the power goes out, our doggie can snuggle under blankets.

We have propane heat that is not electrically powered, but somehow when you don't have lighting, it feels colder.

Stay warm,
Anne

harkoo said...

Hopefully as I write this many hours later, your house is toasty warm and Meha has recuperated from her trauma, but have you? Rough to come home to the cold after you have worked your shift--cruel! We have watched the storm cross the country all weekend and tonight the Northeast is getting ready for a blizzard that will be starting tonight. We needed you here in New Hampshire late this week to deal with a hostage situation in the Clinton headquarters, but it looks like you were busy sliding on the ice! You never came!

Miss Chris said...

Dang! I'd be a frozen popsicle if that was my house!

mdmhvonpa said...

We have frozen dog poo in our back yard now ...