Winter arrived this morning.

    I opened my eyes to stillness. The earth was quiet. I knew before opening the curtains that snow had fallen over night. It had been forecast and was falling even before bed time but it didn't matter. Snow seldom stays here for any length of time. In western Washington we have two seasons, warm rain and cold rain. For the last two months we have had very little of either. It has been clear and very mild. Normally we would be spending weekends in the mountains on the snowmobiles or doing some other alpine activity but not this year. This year we have been riding bikes and hiking mountain trails. When the snow began to fall I was elated. The snow brings out the kid in me. I have a terrible cold but I didn't care. I couldn't wait to go outside.

    Mandy was already up and the coffee was brewed when I walked into the living room. We sat in our chairs drinking coffee and taking in the fresh blanket of white. Beautiful! We bundled up and went on a morning walk with the dogs. We were the first to make tracks as we left the drive. Nobody else appeared to be awake. As our boots squeaked on the dry powder the dogs, acting much more like puppies than grey muzzled adults, ran and played in the drifts. I guess the snow brings out the pup in all old dogs. We walked through the neighborhood and out on the dock at the resort. All around us was a winter wonderland. Geese and ducks swam in  pools of  water as others walked the edge of the frozen lake.

School had been cancelled and our daughter stayed the night at a friend's house so at 11:30 I rode a sled over to pick her up. I could have drove and I could have walked but as I said, snow seldom stays here for long. The forecast calls for snow throughout the day today and tomorrow. The temperature is suppose to stay in the low twenties. Rain is predicted for Sunday but we are hoping the weatherman is wrong.

     With the fun that the snow brings also comes the problems at work. Water pipes are freezing and breaking. The machines are not running well. Management ordered 24 hour coverage until Wednesday morning so I got moved to the graveyard shift. I will go to work at 7pm tonight. Bummer!!! I will make it through the night tonight but I am pretty sure that tomorrow this cold will get the best of me and I will be forced to call in sick. I will be sure to put on a good act tonight so the authenticity of my claim will not be questioned. I will go back to work Sunday night like a good boy but let's face it, even the good have to be bad once in a while. Life is not about work. Work simply pays for the living of life. I am all for the living. Todd