i've been punk'd...

Late last summer, I replaced our old crumbling outdoor path lights with some new solar-powered lights. I thought it would be the green thing to do. They looked great and for the first two weeks, they worked perfectly. We were perfectly illuminated.

And then the sun went away and the lights have been dark ever since...

Which leads me to the next three questions (yes, I've been practicing my counting):

1. Seriously, what kind of a tool brain would sell solar powered outdoor lighting in Seattle, the city that spends 10 and a half months a year soaking wet and in the dark? (Oh wait, don't answer that. It was Target...)

2. What kind of a bigger tool brain forgets that they get about six weeks a year of sun and then goes out and buys said solar lighting?

3. And why is it that waaaaaay too many Seattle-ites are using this lighting? There are a countless number of houses with dark pathways like ours, and I never noticed them until ours went dark. Did everyone catch the same stupid end of season sale that I did?

Sigh... I think all this darkness is getting to me.

naomi defends against the dark forces of evil, i mean winter...

I didn't mean to let so much time slip by between blog posts, but it seems like the darkest of winter crazies has hit my family big time.

I know that I complain about Winter every year, and every year it seems unbelievably darker and wetter and sometimes even colder (remember Siberia? Oh wait, that was Seattle in June, which just felt like Winter, but wasn't actually) than any year in the history of anywhere. And maybe I'm still recovering from three weeks of being snowed in during Winter break.

But people, there is not enough coffee in the world to wake me up when the sun won't shine. I am truly a California girl at heart.

And so I've been slogging through these days, not fully awake, not fully tuned in, and slinging back mug after mug of coffee. (Note to self: Despite the fact that there isn't enough sun to fully wake up at any part of the day, you will still get that unfortunate caffeine edginess.)

And really, it's not just me.
The kids are waking up later and later, and coming home from school exhausted. They're also developing dark circles under their eyes (perhaps a sign of early onset rickets?) and they're unusually crabby and whiny.

If not rickets, maybe we're all just coming down off the holidays... In complete darkness.

We're going to have to find some ways to get through this season, considering we're only in January. One of my friends who grew up in Minnesota suggested framing one's face in tinfoil to ensure you get the brightest of any rays possible. I'm sure she was kidding, but um, don't laugh if you see me decked out in Reynold's Wrap.

At least we have Naomi to defend us...

pacific northwest winter IMs midwest winter...

Pacific NW: BTW, we're getting four more inches today
Midwest: WOW, that's crazy for you guys right?
PNW: ...and i saw my very first snowplow!
MW: We are getting more today too. LMAO! that is so funny to me
PNW: We never get more than 2 or 3 inches... we don't need many snowplows.
MW: there are almost more snow plows here then cars.
PNW: and now there's about a foot of snow outside our houses.
MW: for sure more snowplows than buses and taxis.
MW: WOW!
PNW: Yeah... the streets are horrible.
MW: OMG, I bet...
PNW: Only some streets are plowed and Seattle has decided that salt is too unPC so nobody is salting the streets for fear of endangering the salmon.
MW: SHUT UP
PNW: Yeah, more than two inches shuts down the whole city, and all the schools, too. You never know when you're going to encounter a bad street. Oh yeah...
MW: But you could all die in car accidents... OMG Seattle, LOL
PNW: Yes, but our salmon pies will be safe. We're known for our salmon
MW: LOL
PNW: They are so precious. They are our reason for living.
MW: Thank goodness... Forget human life
PNW: Humans can be evil
MW: true
PNW: salmon = goodness
MW: Happy Holidays, you people!
PNW: And then we eat them...
MW: Because you are evil... Duh
PNW: Yes, duh...

having ourselves a happy white chanuka...

So I know you midwesterners/east coasters are having a nice little chuckle about how much we puget sounders are rattling on about the snow and all, but people...

There are 9 and a half inches of snow outside our house where two is historically a Seattle blizzard.

And because we live in a city where there are maybe twenty snowplows (and that does include SeaTac airport) and I've yet to see a street that has been plowed or salted or whatever people do to snowy streets, and I still have no idea really even what a snowplow looks like, we had a merry little Chanuka at home last night instead of the rocking party we'd planned.

So we cooked our huge 8lb brisket, made enough latkes for five, sang lots of silly songs and then opened some presents. The first night of Chanuka is usually pretty magical because the kids are so into the holiday and they're so gracious with the gifts. If I were really smart about it, I'd give them the boring gifts on the first night, like pajamas and bathrobes, but knowing we'd be stuck in the house, they each got a Lego set that made them insanely happy. (Though today, each one of them is frustrated and unable to put it together on their own and I'm chock done with Legos by this morning.)

Still... Despite the fact that the kids are going nutty, driving me nutty, and our house looks like a tornado has sucked up every one of our belongings and the spewed it out randomly and unevenly throughout every room, I'm enjoying the snow. Really. Not sure if I'd welcome four more months of this without the technology of snowplows, but as soon as I get in a few hours of work, we're putting on our skis and heading down to the Rite Aid for some more milk.

Good times...

snow day #2--this time with feeling (and snow)...

Yesterday the Seattle School District called a snow day, even though there wasn't any new snow yet. Mostly, it was the anticipation of a snow storm that kept the schools closed. And all day long we watched the windows, looking for some action. Nothing.



The weather report predicted snow for last night and jaded, the kids did their homework and got ready for school the next day only to wake up to a bright white world. It's been snowing all day, which is a lot of Western Washington and we've all been pretty excited about playing in all this white stuff.

We're all pretty sure the schools will be closed again tomorrow so I guess winter break has come early for the kids this year... No more school until 2009!

snow!

Dear Winter,

You've done me proud. The kids were thrilled to wake up to a winter wonderland on Sunday morning, and I think that Boaz and I were just as excited.

And I know that it usually snows here only once or twice a year, but Winter honey, snow is something you do really well and please feel free to drop some of that white stuff around whenever you please. Seriously, after all that dark, gloomy rain that keeps the kids inside where they get all antsy and hyper and spastic, it is pure heaven to send them outside in the yard to bounce around in all that fluff.

And also, your snow is just so bright. The way it sparkles in the sun is magical and the way my house is just lit from the reflection of all that white just makes my SAD syndrome just melt away.

And since our city doesn't really know how to deal with snow well (no salted/sanded roads and only a few plows for the whole city), we left the car in the

driveway, cancelled plans, and just took a long family walk around the neighborhood.

I'm even happy to accept the freezing temps that are along for the ride. The kids loved bundling up in their snowboots, hats, and mittens for school today and they can't wait for Wednesday and Thursday when the weather report predicts you'll be bringing us a new batch of the white stuff. Yay!

Thanks again for the treat, Winter! I'm going to accept this as your apology for raining on us through July last year. Feel free to keep the bright weather coming.

Yours,

Amy

P.S. You might want to tell my parents who are coming here for a visit this weekend to bring their jackets. Seattle ain't no Palm Desert this week!

dear winter... you suck.

Dear Winter,

You suck. You really do. I hate you. I really do.

Okay, okay... I'm going to try to be mature about this (but seriously, how mature can someone be if they're writing a letter to a season?!). Things have just gotten out of hand here. We are close to the end of the first week of June and it is still blustery and cold. COLD, I tell you! Temps in the 50s do not make for a pleasant Spring.

I'll admit, at first I thought I might be overreacting. We are in the Pacific Northwest and weather swings a little differently here. But for the past three years, I've really been able to anticipate warmer weather as it coincides with the (also unending) base ball/t-ball season. The season starts off cold and the kids have to wear long sleeves under their jerseys.

The beginning games are a bit miserable for the parents because it's cold and the little siblings are sad to be hanging out in the wind and rain, but then as the season progresses, the days get warmer and the games are really fun to watch. Okay, I can't find any photos for some reason--must be my stellar photo archiving strategy--but I KNOW that last June was warm. June is supposed to be warm. See how warm Naomi's first birthday was?

See? That's a small child wearing a tank dress and she's barefoot, too. She is pale, but it's warm. I remember it.

Here is Tali's last game of the season...

Um, note the long sleeves and jackets, and even parkas on the parents in the way background

Okay, Tali does look happy here, but it's because of the game, Winter. Not you. And she's just cute (so says her mother) so she gets another photo. So there.

Everyone is walking around cursing you, Winter. And then even though some of your friends (must be Frosty and Co. disguised as school parents) say, "It's like this every year. June is dreary." But I will remind you that we usually have more than three days of sun before our dreary June. Today at Samuel's baseball game, the sun came out for three minutes while we all raised our faces upwards and sighed and enjoyed it. And then it was gone. And we had to go back to our cars to keep our noses from running and our children from freezing. And apparently I missed my son's grand slam. (It's debatable whether or not this is really true, but the view from the car really isn't ideal.)

Also, can we talk clothes for a second? Last month, on our one hot day (wooooo, it was 80!), my friend Kim and I went shopping for summer clothes. I bought a pair of summery white jeans, a pair of bermudas, and a summer top and do you know where those warm weather items are? They're in my closet. WITH THE TAGS. STILL. ON. I was so excited to wear those items. But instead, more than a month later I'm still wearing my winter clothes and they are dreary. Wool in June is pathetic.

So come on, Winter! For the kids to not be able to finish their celebratory end of season popsicles because they're already shivering is just mean and cruel. And though you're saving me money by really making pedicures and (any more) new clothes unnecessary, I'd rather expose my toes to some real genuine UV rays.

You're a bully, Winter, and it's not funny anymore. You've set your record so go home.

Beat it, Winter. You do suck.

Coldly,

Amy