Every news outlet said that the conditions were going to be right for the Puget Sound Lowlands to get a white Christmas. It's been a while since we got snow on Christmas and that it actually stays for a while. I was pretty excited about the news but skeptical because they say we're getting snow and we don't actually get any or not very much. I will see it when it happens. Ben, on the other hand, didn't really want it to snow because he didn't want to come into work the next day on his day off to plow roads on JBLM. So, he was hoping we hardly got any.
Over the past three winters, we've been getting roughly 13-15 inches of snow on a Friday or Saturday, we enjoy it for maybe a day or two and it warms up and melts by Monday or Tuesday. Then we don't get any more snow until maybe next winter. So basically, we get all of our winter in one weekend. I know we live in the wrong place to actually have snow and a normal winter but there's always the hope that we will...even if it is just a little bit.
For the conditions to be right, we have to have the moisture coming off of the Pacific Ocean and we have to have the arctic blast from Canada pushing down into our region. This time, it was cold enough for us to get dry snow instead of the wet fluffy snow we usually get. They said we could get up to an inch or two to several inches over the course of the next few days or so. Granted, this depends on the elevation and where you live.
It started snowing at my house around 4:30 on Christmas Day. Snow fell for a while, and we got about an inch that covered the yard. It didn't accumulate on the driveway or roads. People kinda worried about driving home in it but again, the roads weren't that bad. I imagine if snow fell over the course of the night, the roads would get pretty icy the next morning.
Of course, we stayed up late the night before and we slept in the next day. I got up and ate a quick breakfast, watched some early football, worked on my blog for a little while and then everyone else got up finally.
Around 1:30, I felt like getting some exercise, so I got bundled up, put my boots on and went outside and cleared off the vehicles and started shoveling the driveway. This time we had two snow shovels. I remember back in 2019 when we needed a snow shovel and we waited too long and couldn't get one...this is when Ben worked at Lowes. I had to use a broom and a spade shovel to clear off our sidewalks and driveway, which was hard to do. I needed a flat shovel. Anyway, the snow was easy to clear because it was dry snow and very light. The snow came down pretty hard for about half hour and covered up most of the work I did.
Ben eventually came out to clear off his car and get it ready to drive to work. He had a shift at JBLM that started around 3 and ended at 11 that night. He was so excited. I told him to be safe and gave him some hugs and kisses.
I ran over next door to feed Rhonda's kitty, since she was snowed in at her boyfriend's house over on Delphi Road. I went back inside and watched the rest of the Seahawks game. I could not believe we lost to the horrible Bears. It snowed off and on all day. Before, it got dark, I decided to go for a walk in the snow and I took Charlie with me because he's been inside for the past couple days all cooped up. I think he enjoyed his walk in the snow. Ruddell Road was basically a sheet of ice and around 7 that evening we had about 7-9 inches of snow on the ground.
Ben got home around midnight.
The next day was my personal leave day, so I slept in and then snuggled with the kitties for a little bit. Ben had a normal shift at JBLM except he got to go in a little later than normal because of the icy roads. I eventually got up and had lunch because it was too late for breakfast. I talked to Mom for a while, since she had the entire week off and then I got dressed and then went outside to do some more shoveling. Keeping the snow off the driveway keeps it from getting really icy.
I saw Doug took my Escape instead of his because he didn't trust his car driving in the snow and ice due to the low clearance. Plus, the resent damage done to the front of it from a hit and run in West Seattle a few weeks back. I didn't blame him but now I was stranded at home if I wanted to go anywhere. My neighbor came over and handed me some money and goodies for feeding her cat yesterday and we chatted for a few minutes. I went inside and did some laundry, the dishes, talked to Doug on the phone, worked on my blog and Doug ended up coming home early. I took the Escape to the store to go get milk and other things for the week came home, put groceries away and then decided to take Charlie out for another snow-filled walk.
I brought the mail keys with me and on the way back to the house, I went to check the mail. It was so cold outside the key got stuck in the keyhole. I didn't want to walk away from the mailboxes, so I had Ben meet me at the mailboxes with a tool to get the key out. We would have to wait until it warmed up a bit to get the mail.
We made ground chicken nachos with leftovers from Christmas Eve taco night while we watched MNF with the Dolphins and Saints. I won fantasy football that week, Ben did the dishes and then played his game. I finished the laundry and relaxed the rest of the evening. Four-day weekends do go by super-fast.
I looked forward to Tuesday because I was going to work a half a day for my dentist appointment and then have all afternoon to do whatever I wanted. Haha, nope! My dentist office was canceled because the roads were still icy, and no one wanted to come into work. Now, I was stuck at work all day and canceled my leave. Bummer.
I did my usual routine. Doug had the day off and Ben had a 3-11 shift once again. During my morning break before Ben left for work, we took photos of our kitties in the snow. Wade was okay with it and Oliver was like, nope!
The rest of the afternoon I did my job and logged off at 4. I got my warm clothes on and took Charlie on another cold snowy walk through the neighborhood.
We got back, I fed the kitties, worked on my blog a little bit, started dinner of fried potatoes and diced ham and did the dishes as I went. I ate dinner, worked on my blog some more, watched more bowl games, got cleaned up, put some stuff away and then got ready for bed. Two more days until a three-day weekend!
On Wednesday, Ben slept in most of the day because he had another 3-11 shift at JBLM plowing streets. I did my usual thing at work in front of the computer in the living room.
Wade wouldn't stop sitting in front of my screen so I could work. He and Oliver decided to play underneath the tree most of the day.
Ben eventually got up, took a shower and ate some breakfast. I chatted with Doug and Bev at lunch time. During the last half of my lunch time, I got the roast, spices, liquids and veggies into the crock pot so it would be ready by dinnertime. I finished up my work and logged off at 4. My friend, Alicia, stopped by to drop off some money for watching her dogs during Christmas while she was visiting family in Yakima. We chatted for about a half hour and then she went to go take care of a few more errands before more snow came. I took Charlie for a walk around the neighborhood again.
We got home and the food was just about done in the crock pot. Doug and Ben were home. I fed the kitties, dished up some food, watched the Alamo Bowl, it started snowing again, I worked on my blog, got cleaned up and watched some Riverdale up until bedtime. One more day until another long weekend!
On the last working day of the year, which happened to be a Thursday this time, I woke up thinking that it was my day off and was very disappointed when it wasn't. Of course, I should have known, we got an email stating that the reviews were going to be late. Why did I know something stupid was going to happen? I was bored for about an hour and a half because the date extensions were late as well.
Once everything did come, I was able to stay busy until lunch time. Luckily, it was a pretty light day. Ben was on another 3-11 shift, so he pretty much slept in late, got cleaned up and had breakfast before he had to leave. I shared my tuna with the kitties, Dad called me for a bit, I went outside to shovel snow and I made a chubby snow duck.
I got most of my stuff done before my afternoon break. I walked over to Rhonda's house to feed her cat since she was still snowed in. I finished work, logged off at 4 and took Charlie for a walk around the neighborhood in the snow.
We got back and I fed the kitties, started pork chops, wild rice and green beans. We watched more bowl games, worked on my blog, talked to Mom and Trish for a while, ate popcorn, went to the store for some NYE stuff, got cleaned up, watched Riverdale and went to bed. Yay three-day weekend and a new year!!
The snow stayed until about Saturday and then it started warming up. This was the longest in a while the snow stayed around. It was kind of nice actually even though it canceled a lot of things and had to make people adjust to it. I'm glad no one I knew drove off the road or got in a car accident. I know it's been a long time since we had a white Christmas and it was actually kind of magical, sorta. I wish everything went back to normal as it was before Covid, and everyone started getting old and passing away. I'm glad we've been getting snow for the winter because it breaks up all the miserable rain and wind, we get all the time. It was actually refreshing. I think I am ready for sunshine and summer now.
Next Adventure: NYE and New Year's Day
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