WASHOUGAL BLIZZARD 2008

Winter has arrived, people!! It is a cold one here in the 'Shoug. I snapped some pics outside our house, but it really doesn't give justice to how bitterly cold and windy it is here today. When I got up this morning our outside temp was 15...and that's not counting the wind chill.

Good news is that school is closed - and it would appear that they will be all week. Since my little tots were sick last week, it is conceivable that they will return to school in January having not been there for a month. I hope they don't forget everything they've learned so far! ;-)

The other thing I have noticed about this unusually early winter storm is that I am out of the practice of dealing with harsh winter weather here. Suddenly I have turned into a "weather freak". I feel that I MUST check the news periodically just to be sure there hasn't been a "significant change" of any kind...I have been sucked into the madness that is our "Winter Weather Coverage" here in the PNW.

For example, my station of choice, KGW News, is touting this as the "ARCTIC BLAST" - complete with terrifying sound effects and graphics. You would think the Earth was coming to an end and we were all going to freeze to death just by thinking about the storm!

And then my favorite part of all...the beat reporters that they send out to stand in the most ridiculous of places, freezing their hineys off...there really should be a drinking game for it.

Every time the station anchor mentions that they can "hear the wind" out in the field - drink. Every time a field reporter bangs on the street with their mic to show how icy the roads are - drink. Every time they interview some "man on the street" who hasn't seen the inside of a dentist office in his entire lifetime - drink. (I'm not being mean...it's just how it is!!)

You'd be hammered in about 11 minutes.

For any one who was concerned about us Krazy Kneipps, we are doing OK. We're hunkered down in the house staying warm. We've got enough peanut butter, jam and bread to keep the kids alive for months, and so far our Dish TV is still coming in just fine.

Speaking of which, I better check the news again...it's been 20 minutes and there's no telling WHAT could have happened by now.

Stay classy, Washougal. Stay classy.