Snow.....
When I moved here they told me it wouldn't snow. "Snow never lasts more than a day here. It just rains all the time." And yet, I waded through a good foot of white fluff in my yard tonight as I went out to take hot water to my landlords' chickens. At this point the five chickens and I are the only ones here, in the deepest snow Olympia has had in eighteen years. The landlords left for California a week ago, leaving me in charge of the chickens. Two days after they left, a hawk got into the coop and the flock shrunk by one. Because of the hawk and and the cold and the snow, the other tenant here (J) and I moved the remaining five birds into the shed and set up heat lamps for them. I go out to feed them in the mornings and later in the day to make sure their water hasn't frozen and to shoo out the sparrows that squeeze under the door seeking warmth and chicken feed. J headed for Seattle this afternoon, attempting to beat the storm and catch his flight tomorrow. So I am here alone, in a yard buried under a white snowy blanket, on a quiet unplowed road.
The trees sag with the weight of the snow. I haven't moved my car in days. If I go anywhere I walk down the road to the bus stop. This afternoon I was running late and needed to catch the 1:30 bus to get to the bank before it closed. As I hurried down the road I checked my watch and realized that even if I ran on the icy road I might not make it, so I stuck my thumb out at a passing SUV.
"Where are you going?" Asked the middleaged woman driving.
"Just down to the busstop on the corner"
"Well, hop in, I can give you a ride." she shook her head and added. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I never do this."
"I just need to catch the 1:30 bus and I'm running late" I said. "It's just at the corner"
I thanked her profusely when she let me out. I caught my bus on time and made it to the bank.
I'm supposed to take the train to ND on Monday afternoon. My friend, S, was supposed to take the same train to Spokane today. She got as far as Seattle, but they shut down the Empire Builder east bound because of the weather. So she's stuck there. And they told her it would be stopped until Monday. And they can't book her on another train because they're ALL FULL. This sucks for her. It also makes me uneasy about my travel plans. At this point I have no idea if my train will be running or not on Monday. If my train is running and I make it to ND, my parents may or may not be able to pick me up at the station in Minot, depending on the weather and if they can get out of their yard. I'm just going to assume I'll get stranded somewhere and pack accordingly. Uggghhh. Friggin' weather. It's beautiful, but it's interfering with my holiday plans!
The trees sag with the weight of the snow. I haven't moved my car in days. If I go anywhere I walk down the road to the bus stop. This afternoon I was running late and needed to catch the 1:30 bus to get to the bank before it closed. As I hurried down the road I checked my watch and realized that even if I ran on the icy road I might not make it, so I stuck my thumb out at a passing SUV.
"Where are you going?" Asked the middleaged woman driving.
"Just down to the busstop on the corner"
"Well, hop in, I can give you a ride." she shook her head and added. "I can't believe I'm doing this. I never do this."
"I just need to catch the 1:30 bus and I'm running late" I said. "It's just at the corner"
I thanked her profusely when she let me out. I caught my bus on time and made it to the bank.
I'm supposed to take the train to ND on Monday afternoon. My friend, S, was supposed to take the same train to Spokane today. She got as far as Seattle, but they shut down the Empire Builder east bound because of the weather. So she's stuck there. And they told her it would be stopped until Monday. And they can't book her on another train because they're ALL FULL. This sucks for her. It also makes me uneasy about my travel plans. At this point I have no idea if my train will be running or not on Monday. If my train is running and I make it to ND, my parents may or may not be able to pick me up at the station in Minot, depending on the weather and if they can get out of their yard. I'm just going to assume I'll get stranded somewhere and pack accordingly. Uggghhh. Friggin' weather. It's beautiful, but it's interfering with my holiday plans!