"Winter Blast 2010"

We have a little weather here in the PNW and the newsmen go crazy. I love the over dramatization. "Icy conditions grip the area", reads one headline.

"Underneath that layer of snow, Bob, is a slick layer of ice!" says a bundled reporter standing out in the snow yelling into her mic.

"Over here we see a nine car pile up!" she continues to shout (she does have a mic, is shouting necessary?) "Cars have been abandoned all over the city!"

Then the warm inside anchorman chimes in, "More in store with freezing temps and increased wind chill. Keep your pets and grandma's inside tonight, folks!"

"Stay tuned for more weather updates!"

How many times do they need to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to show the same scenes from the roads over and over again?

Kind of makes me wonder what is happening elsewhere in the world. Instead of turning to CNN or BBC, I just turn off the telly. I, for one, had a snow day today and savored every minute of it!

After watching it snow from my cubicle on the 27th floor all day yesterday, I walked the almost three miles home bypassing a string of cars gridlocked on First Avenue. I don't quite understand this. From overhearing phone calls and gossip yesterday at work, everyone all over the area was watching it snow and comparing notes. It was sticking in Bellevue, but not in Issaquah. It was coming down hard in Bothell, and roads in Auburn were already covered. So why did everyone wait until the end of the day to start driving home? The Mayor said it "snuck up on us". Snuck? It began snowing on Sunday. Snow had been predicted for a week. It was snowing when we went to work Monday morning. There was no "sneaking". Mother nature made it quite clear that you might want to consider working from home, not driving, or at the very least, leave work much earlier than you did!

I have the luxery of being walking distance from work, and I was quite happy to be on foot. With my hood tightly tied, my shadow cast a Kenny-like resemblance. Unlike Kenny, I managed to get home safe and sound. Once inside my cozy hovel, I lit candles, poured a glass of wine (my wine club...eeerrr, I mean book club canceled yesterday so I had an abundance of vino on hand), and prepared a hot and deliciously healthy supper.

I love the way a snowy day makes me feel. I'm quite content to huddle in and be a bit domestic. I've noticed the snow has that affect on others as well. When initially housebound, it's the energy that kicks in right before cabin fever. My sister-in-law said she oiled all of her wooden furniture. Mr. Wonderful scoured his house inside and out. Another friend re-arranged her entire living room and cleaned and organized her garage (that was actually a favor to me so I could garage my motorcycle for the winter! I got it stored in the nick of time.).

While I threatened to clean out my closets, my productive snowy day activities veered more on the quietly creative side. I spent several hours working on my SoulCollage® cards, writing, baking pumpkin ginger bread and going for a long walk in the snow. I love these surprise days to myself. What a fabulous treat.

I've heard a few nasty comments chastising mother nature, but most people take it in stride. After all, what is so important you can't take a day off from it?