With warm temperatures, sunshine, and the smell of late winter flowers dominating the last days of January, I had given up hope of seeing any lowland snow this winter. Naturally, this meant that just a few days into February, temperatures plummeted and a snowy wonderland descended on the Seattle area! I couldn’t have been more surprised, or delighted, as fat, soggy flakes began to fall on Sunday afternoon. Andy and I were out for a late lunch at Bellevue Brewing when the snow arrived, and the few people not at home watching the Super Bowl all clustered at the windows, phones in hand to document the snow. Happily, we made it home early enough for me to dash out to the Powerline Trail, meeting a friend and her family for a slow ramble through the transformed landscape. After such a warm, sunny winter so far, it’s such a relief to finally get a little snow!
Read moreLife: Week 5
Early February is an odd time in the PNW. It doesn't quite feel like winter anymore, but it's also definitely not quite spring. Right now the days still feel too short, especially during the week. February gets hated on a lot around here, and some years I hate it too. As usual, I've been longing for the drawn out evenings of summer, but this year I'm finding a lot to enjoy in the shortest month of the year. There's so much promise, so many green things just beginning to bud and sprout and poke up through the soil.
Read moreLife: Week 5
This week was a little bit of everything. Early in the week, I saw friends posting photos of the first flowers of the year beginning to bloom. By midweek, it was pouring rain, and by Sunday evening, we had snow! I love the dramatic variety of weather we sometimes get here in the Pacific Northwest. I remember a comic in the Seattle Times I saw when I first moved here with my family that said "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." Weeks like this remind me of that comic. It's been several years since we've had a good snow day in the Seattle area, and while I felt ready for the start of spring at the start of the week, I'm so glad we got one good snowstorm in! All this unpredictable, winter weather has meant lots of time spent inside knitting. I've made good progress on my sweater, and at this rate, might even have it finished before summer!
Read moreLife: Week 5
Another truly excellent week! I never regret getting outside - something I really need to remember for the weeks to come. The damp, chilly months of spring are always the hardest for me to get outside. My lack of motivation probably has something to do with my impatience for peak summer hiking. I always forget the often unbearable and bugs and dream of gorgeous trails still under feet of snow, then feel disappointed by the lowland trail options available early in the year. This year, I'm determined to appreciate the trails that are accessible year round for their own beauty, and to squeeze in as many snowshoe trips as I can before the snow becomes too unstable and avalanche danger too high!
Read more