Tag Archives: snow

Dec18

First Washington Now Winnipeg

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First Washington Now Winnipeg

This morning I wandered down to the tianguis on my street. It was a tad chilly, a mere 60 degrees. But the sun was shining brightly. And I’ve gotten used to seeing Mexicans wearing ski jackets and scarves in this weather. Lots of hats and gloves too. Me? A short-sleeve top instead of a tank top.

Washington was hit with a second atmospheric river. Once again the wind toppled trees and downed power lines. Lots of evacuations on the west side. And now there are blizzard and heavy snowfall warnings out across the state.

Winnipeg is completely shut down today as a massive blizzard attacked the city and the surrounding areas. Glad I’m not there either, although I do recall blizzards in the past when I braved those Winnipeg winters in my younger days. The good thing about a Winnipeg blizzard is that it blows in and blows out fairly quickly. While it does cripple the city, plows are usually able to clean things up fast. And the highways are not destroyed as is the case in Washington.

Highway 2 west of Leavenworth is closed. That is huge! Not only is this the most direct route to Seattle, it is also one of two main mountain passes between Leavenworth and Seattle. Landslides, mudslides and flooding have taken their toll. A fifty mile stretch of highway no longer exists. Barring any more inclement weather, it is predicted that repairs will be complete and the highway passable hopefully by the end of February.

The only other option is Blewett-Snoqualmie, a more scenic but less direct route also notorious for harsh winter weather. Delays are already all too common and now it will definitely take much longer to travel to Seattle with the increased traffic on this route.

I’m thankful that I’m here in Mexico, although I admit I do occasionally dream of a white Christmas.

Oct14

Countdown Continues

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Countdown Continues

A week from today at this time I’ll be somewhere up in the air between Seattle and Los Angeles. The days between now and then are full. Actually, all my days are full. I wonder where I ever found the time to raise kids, work and volunteer before I retired.

This morning I went to Soul Sisters at church. No Zoom for this Bible Study so it will be by snail mail email. I told everyone they get their goodbye hugs at church this Sunday.

I spent two hours organizing and backing up the pics on my laptop. Then I downloaded more from my phone and backed those up. I really need to do this more regularly. Then it won’t be such a tedious undertaking.

Tomorrow morning is my last writers group meeting until next year. This group has been a great source of support and encouragement. Once again, no Zoom. But we can email files to each other and keep in touch by phone. I will miss our lunches together after the meetings. This is an opportunity to converse and get to know each other better other than just by our writing styles.

On Thursday it will be my last small group for a while. We share a meal together before delving into a Bible Study. And the fellowship after is most enjoyable. It’s always a late night and I am quite content to sleep in on Friday morning.

I’m not sure what’s happening on Friday. Joanne and I haven’t decided yet. All I know at this point is that it won’t involve volunteering lol. When Joanne asked me what I want to do I told her I want to go to Cashmere and never leave. If only that truly were a possibility!

I had an interesting email from the Canadian Embassy in Mexico. A warning about flooding and landslides in central Mexico. Hmmm. I decided not to fly in on the coast because of the current hurricane activity. Hopefully Guadalajara stays high and dry.

We’ve actually had some rain here in East Wenatchee. And there is snow up in the mountains. So I know it is time for me to leave. The temperatures have dropped and I’ve been layering and bundling up. I have plans for the weekend so I hope it doesn’t get too cold.

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” Charles Dickens.

I better get back to sorting through documents.

Jan4

Bienvenido 2023

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Bienvenido 2023

Happy New Year! I hope you had an enjoyable holiday and are now embracing the new year with open arms. I know I am and can’t wait to see what’s in store for me in 2023.

Have you thought about new year’s resolutions? I have and am sure not going to make any. I’ve talked to friends who are eagerly writing some down. The way I see it, no matter how realistic they look on paper, they never seem to pan out the way they were planned.

The only resolution that makes any sense to me is to be a better person than I was last year. And that is something I need to keep in my heart rather than write down on a piece of paper.

I keep seeing on Facebook pics of all the snow in Washington state. The mountain passes seem to be closed more often than they’re open. Keep safe up there people!

I’m headed for the bus station later today to buy tickets. I’m planning on going to Culiacan to visit my family later this month. I can’t wait to hug my grandkids! I saw them last February before I headed back to the USA. I’m sure that two of my four grandsons are now taller than me.

Friday is King’s Day. My Mexican friend Angie told me the story behind it. There’s a lot more to this day than looking for the baby Jesus hidden in the bread. Catholics believe that the Three Wise Men were looking for the baby Jesus to protect him. Pilate was afraid that Jesus would take over his kingdom so he ordered that all children under the age of two were to be killed.

That’s it for week one in January.

Have a great Wednesday!

Dec4

This Week In Weather

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This Week In Weather

December. Winter. The end of the year 2022.

My friend Ann in Leavenworth texted me a photo of the snow the other day. Quite a heavy blanket covered her car. Reports of two feet of snow. Chains needed to head over the mountain passes.

It’s very different here in Aguascalientes. Sunny and warm with temperatures hovering near 80 degrees Fahrenheit. It does cool off in the evenings. When I go out for my walks I need a light sweatshirt.

I was talking to David yesterday. It’s cold in Winnipeg. Temperatures are in the minus 20s Celsius. Not sure how to convert that. I’m still in American Fahrenheit mode.

My featured photo is one I took in Leavenworth two years ago when I spent a Covid winter there instead of returning to Mexico. I miss those gorgeous trees. That Bavarian village is a spectacular winter wonderland.

I remember my first December in Mexico back in 2010. I was living in Culiacan and it was extremely hot. My students didn’t like the air conditioning in my classroom and started wearing hats and gloves to class. I took the hint. Off went the air conditioning. The teacher got to roast so the students didn’t have to freeze. As soon as class was over I ripped off my uniform and changed into shorts and a tank top. I stopped at the first tienda and bought an ice cold Coke to put up against my cheeks to cool me down. It was much hotter in Culiacan than in Aguascalientes with temperatures soaring around the 100 degree Fahrenheit mark.

When I lived in Guadalajara the temperatures in winter were much cooler. Yes, there were nights when it dropped down to the freezing mark and we actually used the fireplace in our house. And I wore gloves and a hat. Atole was always welcome. And then there was one year when it actually got so warm that we had a thunderstorm on Christmas Eve.

I must say I enjoy seeing all my friends’ posts on Facebook with the photos and videos of snowfalls. They’re beautiful to look at from here in Mexico. But I sure don’t miss shoveling snow or driving in it. When I lived in rural Manitoba I rolled two cars off the highway due to black ice and totaled them both. I also do not miss the treacherously icy sidewalks.

So wherever you live, readers, be cautious and aware of inclement weather. Be prepared and stay safe.

Have a great Sunday!

Apr13

It’s Raining It’s Snowing

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It’s Raining It’s Snowing

Yesterday was April 12th. With April Fool’s Day weather. It was also a Tuesday which means I commute to Leavenworth from East Wenatchee to teach a fitness class. I usually hop on Link, but not yesterday. The rain had turned to snow. Will I ever get rid of this ski jacket? Do I really need to dig out my Sorrells?

Driving along Eastmont, the town of Wenatchee below us had totally disappeared from view, as had the mountains beyond. Visibility improved as we made our way along Highway 2 towards Leavenworth.

I must admit the mountains look very pretty with all the freshly fallen snow. But the snow didn’t stay up on the mountains. Instead it graced the town itself.

I snapped these pics after the fitness class.

The snow had finally stopped and didn’t resume again until late afternoon. On the drive back to East Wenatchee, we noticed a drastic change once we got out of Leavenworth. Instead of snow on the ground, everything was green again. And the sun even began to peek through.

Elsewhere in the USA the weather ranged from vicious tornados to blizzards. My friends back in Manitoba were also bracing for severe winter storms.

Did we skip spring, summer and fall and head directly back to winter?

It’s now 9 am Wednesday, today, just before I post this. The snow is still coming down in East Wenatchee. I know the mountains are out there somewhere.

Mar31

Really Mother Nature???

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Really Mother Nature???

My last post was about how gorgeous the weather is here in Washington state. Of course the day after I published that post I awoke to a winter wonderland out there.

The snow didn’t last, not here in Leavenworth. The mountain passes were a different story, covered in snow and ice.

That afternoon I ventured into Wenatchee where there was no snow at all. Thankfully the wind warnings didn’t materialize into much and the sun shone in all its glory.

On my way back home I stopped in Cashmere to go for a walk. I was delighted to capture these shots of spring flowers.

Even my favorite tree, a red maple, was beginning to bud.

Although it was cool yesterday, today we’re back up into the 60s. I guess Mother Nature was just toying with us on Monday. After all, spring has sprung.

Feb21

Avalanche Warnings

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Avalanche Warnings

Here we go again. The temperatures are rising, the snow is falling and there are avalanche warnings out for the mountain passes. The passes were closed last Tuesday and there actually were a couple of avalanches in two of the areas close to the passes.

Before I came to Washington state this winter, avalanches were just something that happened in the movies. That had been my experience.

Of course hurricanes and flash flooding were all new to me as well when I moved to Mexico. In Manitoba it was always extreme cold, windchills and tornados.

Here in Leavenworth we’ve been blessed with an abundance of snow, although the locals all tell me that this winter has been unusually mild with less snow than usual. But after eleven years of winter in Mexico any snow is a lot of snow to me.

Roofs are slanted here to accommodate the melting as well as the weight of the snow. These photos of the overhang was taken yesterday.

The house where I’m staying overlooks the seventeenth hole on the golf course. It looks very different in the winter.

But I’ve been told that avalanches never happen here in town, only higher up in the mountain passes. And that’s reassuring.

Feb14

This Week In February.

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This Week In February.

February is a short month, and this past week has not been the greatest. The groundhog saw his shadow back on February 2nd, so maybe that explains all the snow we’re getting now. It may also account for the temperatures that have plummeted from the forties down to the teens.

But I’m not complaining too loudly. When I talk to friends back in Winnipeg I hear stories of extreme windchills and cars not starting. That’s a typical winter on the Canadian prairies.

A friend in Winnipeg is back in the hospital as they still try to determine the cause of an infection. Another friend just lost her brother to cancer. More friends in Mexico are struggling with Covid and one has died.

While Canada is imposing even stricter restrictions, here in Washington state things are opening up. I must admit that I’m confused by church gatherings with no masks and dine-in restaurants open in some towns but not in others. So much for state mandated rules.

Today is Valentine’s Day. Last year on this day I was in Aguascalientes at the park coloring and visiting with a friend. Today I’m coloring inside at home, glancing out the window at the falling snow.

The highlight of this past week is undoubtedly the three video calls I received from my eleven-year-old grandson in Culiacan. He usually calls me twice a week, so the extra call was truly a blessing. He tells me what he is studying in his online classes. He reads me stories he’s written. He tells me about his favorite videogames. Occasionally we talk about Covid.

I hope next week will be a better one. I’m tired of hearing about illness and death and quarantine.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Jan31

It Sure Likes To Snow Here

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It Sure Likes To Snow Here

Colder temperatures and less snow? Or milder temperatures and more snow? Winnipeg is the former and Leavenworth is the latter.

Today is Thursday and we’ve had over two feet of snow since Tuesday night when I moved back to Leavenworth from Wenatchee. The Washingtonians take it in their stride. But after eleven winters in Mexico I find it rather fascinating.

Here is the view from my front door with the 17th hole of the golf course in the background.

And here is Steve’s truck after the foot of snow we got last night.

It’s now Friday. Linda and I went out to Sleeping Lady and went for a walk. It was warm and the paths were primarily clear with slushy spots. I was warm in my ski jacket and toque. I even wore my Thinsulate gloves for the first time although a lighter pair would have been just fine.

This beautiful glass sculpture by Chihuly looks completely different with the snow in the background.

We also came across this quaint little bridge.

Here is one of the charming cabins at the resort.

Today is Saturday. Once again the sun is hiding. We had snow showers this morning instead of the heavy snowfall we had earlier in the week. This afternoon it changed to rain and then to snow. I’m hibernating and catching up on laundry.

I am quite enjoying my first winter in snow in eleven years. I know I will never tire of the spectacular view of the mountains, even when snow covered.

Today is Sunday with more snow in the forecast. And it’s time to post this.

Jan27

Again? Nomad Moved Again?

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Again? Nomad Moved Again?

YES.

Fourth move in four months.

I’m back in Leavenworth.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to unpack a suitcase. But I always do.

And I keep on moving. And this time I wound up back in Leavenworth.

It snowed all day yesterday and it’s still snowing this morning. It’s the first time I’ve ever moved on a snowy day. Usually it’s bright and sunny.

I also haven’t seen snow like this since 2009. It actually does look kind of pretty.

I was in Cashmere yesterday morning where it wasn’t snowing. I visited my tree, of course, and went to Spirit of America.

It’s a very different winter for me and I’m getting used to it. So far it’s been pretty mild. But it isn’t Mexico.