Where the hell's the snow? Oh, there it is!

We've been expecting heavy snow for a couple of days now. We were told that we'd get 3" on Wednesday. Uh, nope. Then we were told that there was a HUGE ENORMOUS storm coming in from Portland (which is suffering badly with snow and ice) Thursday during the day. Not only did it not come, but the weather warmed up into the high 30s and everything melted. It was disgustingly warm for something where there was a lot of snow promised.

It snowed a little earlier this evening and there was mebbe an inch on the ground. Everything had melted off so it looked fluffy and virginal. There's a lot of snow happening now: huge, puffy flakes falling thick and fast. I have no idea how much we're due for, but I think it's going to be quite a bit.

Cool. I'm on vacation and can just watch it snow. :)


Addendum, 8:00am Friday: we're up to 3" now and should have another inch or so.

Where the hell's the snow? Oh, there it is!

Dinner

The Babe made this incredible chili that was a chili cook-off winner. Wonderful stuff for keeping the cold out.

Banging the keys on so much stuff right now. Vacation coming soon. Hurrah!

Dinner

Mason Williams concert

I saw Mason Williams in concert with the Eugene Concert Choir the other day. I'd never seen either of them in concert before, but I was very pleased with both. I've been an enormous fan of Mason Williams for 40 years ever since he debuted Classical Gas on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. There was a film that went along with it: 3000 Years of Art. There were also several local high school and middle school choirs, all of whom were really good, too. Their directors were outstanding.

The concert was great. Mason performed several of my favorite pieces of his with the orchestra and the choirs, "What Tune Is This?," "A Gift of Song," and, of course, "Classical Gas."

There were a lot of CDs that I didn't have (I have them in LP form, but not CD) and Classical Gas, a relatively recent book of music that gives complete tablature for a number of pieces as well as a CD so you can hear how the pieces are supposed to sound. I brought copies of two of Mason's original books, "Mason Williams Reading Matter" and "Flavors."

Mason Williams is 70. His voice is still soft, rich, warm, and well-controlled. Amazing and wonderful. I'm pleased to have met him at last.

Mason Williams concert

Snow!

About 10:15 this morning, the Babe phoned me and said "So, waddaya think about working at home?"

"What do I think about what?" I replied, always quick on the uptake.

"You obviously haven't looked outside, have you?"

"Nope, just a minute." I keep the blinds and shutters closed most of the time because I like it without too much natural light when I'm working. Up went the venetian blinds.

Snow! Lots of snow!

Looking down the street from our front door

"Pretty impressive!" I said when I got back to the phone. "How much snow is it?"

"The real question," she replied, "is not how much snow, but how much ice."

"Oh, dear!" I said.

"Yes, I made it into the office over the bridge only because I know how to drive on snow. And even then I saw a lot of cars that had gone off the road on Delta Highway. Only a few of the people made it into the office, too."

"Well, I shall revel in the fact that I work at home, then!" I said.

Neighbor's back yard

I got the camera so I could take a few quick snaps. It's looking like there's maybe 3-4" of snow so far. It's still snowing a little, so how much more may accumulate by the end of today isn't clear.

The patio furniture in the backyard

When I popped my head out the back door to take shots of the backyard, I could hear kids playing in one of the nearby yards and a father helping them. And the street in front of the house slopes gently, so there are three or four kids sledding and tobogganing down the street.

I'm really glad that I don't have to go anywhere farther than up and down the stairs today, though. It'd be a pain to drive in this.

Snow!

More than 500 posts

No, this doesn't really prove anything, but I noticed that I'm now a smidgen over 500 posts on this blog. I guess it says that there's a lot of stuff about me for the devoted fans. Particularly if you like stories about cats and writing.

More than 500 posts

A Nobel Peace Prize for Pete Seeger

I stumbled over this the other day and it's a brilliant and godlike idea. If anyone has put in the effort to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize, it's Pete Seeger.

There's a good overview of his accomplishments towards a Peace Prize here.

This was inspired. Sign up now.

A Nobel Peace Prize for Pete Seeger