Seattle Snowmageddon 2019

We're having, as some might say, a Seattle moment. Or, perhaps, a Pacific Northwest moment.

It's really cold. We've had snow on the ground for almost a week, with more to come in a few days. This is not normal here in the lowlands west of the Cascade Mountains!

Maybe you've seen the jokes going around social media about how we Seattleites (and Portlanders) massively overreact when it snows. Over the last few days, shelves in many grocery stores/Costco have been stripped of food. In Portland, for god's sake, they ran out of kale!

But nevertheless, we persist and survive. In fact, some of us thrive.

This morning I was up and out before sunrise, walking through 8 inches of fluffy white powder snow to my local bakeshop Preserve & Gather for tea. Despite the dark skies, it was soft and bright and lovely.

 Alas, the sign on the shop said they would be opening an hour later today. So I turned around and went home, strapped on my cross-country skis, and headed back over. 

Inside, barista Jessica was working in a tank top in the steamy warmth of the bakeshop, with fresh hot scones and muffins coming out of the ovens. There were just a few of us there, but gradually more wandered in.

Going home, I took some side streets and alleys that were untracked. What a blast! 

Not long after I got home, my neighbors Dave and Mary called to see if I wanted to go skiing. Sure! So in another 10 minutes I was out the door, heading back to P&G for hot cocoa.

By the time we got there mid-morning, it was packed.

Ski rack instead of a bike rack in use today.

And the hot cocoa tasted extra good, as we sat inside the happy, crowded bakeshop watching sweet little snowflakes falling from the sky outside.

Preserve & Gather's deelish hot cocoa with in-house made marshmallows.

 Afterwards we took a different loop through the 'hood to the Crown Hill Cemetery, cruising past the sign telling us it's a no go to enter unless we own a plot there.

We figured they might be more lenient on a snow day.

Most of the rest of the day I've been inside, trying to get caught up on that paperwork that never seems to get done. 

Outside Preserve & Gather

But overall, everyone I passed skiing, sledding, or just walking was extra friendly and even giddy. When it freezes in Seattle, the so-called Seattle Freeze thaws.

How are you holding up in the snow and cold if you're here in Upper Left USA?

Happy trails and thanks for visiting Pacific Northwest Seasons! 

In between blog posts, visit Pacific NW Seasons on FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram for more Northwest photos and outdoors news.