Life in a Snowball

Nearly got stuck at work last night, during Seattle's version of a snowstorm. It was a total white out near High Point in West Seattle about 6:30, when I left the clinic. My car had about 5 inches of snow on it, and the roads were slick as snot. When I got to the crest of the hill to head down to the West Seattle Bridge, one of those accordion buses had just slid into the side of the street, and there was a tangle of cars trapped going down. I thought I was going to be stuck there for hours. A quarter tank of gas. Windshield wipers flipping the heavy snowflakes from my windshield. Part of a chocolate chip cookie in my coat pocket (saved from lunch). Thank the goddess for those nice young men from the cement truck who helped me put on my chains. (I always keep them in the trunk . . . not the guys, the chains, silly!). Without them I wouldn't have made it off that hill. Once I got into Seattle proper, the streets were pretty clear, and I felt like a fool driving with the chains on, but what the heck. I think because High Point's elevation is so high (hence the name), it can have very different weather, and more snow, than the rest of the city. There were still a lot of people to the north and south stuck on freeways at 10PM last night. This morning, I hear there is black ice everywhere. What a mess. I think today is "stay home from work day." Don't you?