Still Snowy In Seattle

Greetings all from snowy Seattle! I'm sitting here literally surrounded by a winter wonderland but instead of seeing picturesque white, I see hard white stuff that won't go away! I've had to close the blinds because I don't want to see what our true accumulation is (probably between 6-8 inches with ice underneath and on top). I didn't expect to have a white christmas on the west coast but that's exactly what we're going to have. This all started on Wednesday when school was canceled because of the threat of snow (it didn't happen). Mother Nature did however drop a nice bucket of white on Thursday that left drivers abandoning their vehicles and collisions happening all over the place. The weather was so bad that school was quickly canceled from Friday as well and so my Christmas break started much earlier than expected. At first most people around here were excited for the snow; having sled races in the streets and cross country skiing in the parks. Having grown up with so much snow I just saw it as missed opportunities to go places and get things done (and Dad's voice in me head saying "There's snow on the ground. You're not driving anywhere.") Just to get out of the house, I walked downtown to the shopping district. With my Christmas shopping done, I just wanted to get out of the house and be around people. And boy were there people. I don't think anyone went to work on Friday. Or they were just smart gearing up for what Saturday would bring.....more snow and wind and ice. It started in the evening and had laid a nice coating of a couple of inches by the morning. Joe tried for 2 hours to get his truck out of the driveway to get to work but the snow and the ice won and his tires just spun. After a nice gesture by our neighbor to lend Joe a shovel and with a few good pushes, he was able to get the truck back to his original parking spot in the driveway. We have seen no plows, there is no salt because it is not good for the environment, and nobody owns a shovel so it's walk on the sidewalk at your own risk. I became so frustrated today that I used a big brush to try and sweep our sidewalks and entrance-laughing at myself the whole time and embarrassed that we too do not own a shovel, or chains, or snow tires. They haven't seen it this worse since 1990. What a way to remember our first winter here. So instead of aiding the side streets (somehow the interstates are worthy of cleaning) they wait for mother nature to run her course and bring warmth and sunlight to melt it away. Well this city must be on mother nature's bad side because all she keeps giving us is more snow! So as I rant (I think I lost patience sometime yesterday) I want to say that I'm jealous of anyone with clear streets, and shoveled sidewalks, and a state system that knows how to deal with bad weather.
But on a much lighter and happier note, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and know that Joe and I are with you all in spirit. Enjoy the holiday season!
Sending hugs from our coast to yours......