I did bake yesterday, but very late in the day, and only after getting caught out in east Portland in the middle of a blizzard. Funny, all my dreams of snow involve me puttering happily in a warm kitchen wearing pajama bottoms and a handknit cardigan, not driving in white-out conditions, with hardly any gas in the tank and crap windshield wipers. The light at SE 122nd and Stark (big intersection) was out, so it literally took us about twenty minutes to to go eight blocks as car after car needed to stop and take its turn. And let me just say, many, many people apparently do not know what to do when the stoplight is not working — they're just, like, driving obliviously through the intersection. Even if you didn't know the treat-it-as-a-four-way-stop rule, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the concept of waiting one's turn. And this was all before the snow. This was in regular weather.
But anyway, I finally get to my destination, just beyond the stoplight, at 1:30 p.m.: Fabric Depot. It's sunny. Perfectly sunny, nothing remarkable, just fine. I go into the Depot and I'm wandering around, get some fabric cut, still wandering when I hear this lady say, "Ohmigoodness! It's totally dark outside!" And we all look up and sure enough, it is dark as twilight. It looks, suddenly, like it's about 5:30. I leave my fabric and go running outside (along with ten other people). It was one of the freakiest things I have ever seen. Snow was blowing everywhere. Snow was piling up on cars and in the parking lot. There was about an inch on the ground. I had a sudden vision of getting snowed or iced in at the Fabric Depot — not the worst thing, but, as I said, all I ever wanted to do was bake, not sew. Last year when ice blew in, the city was shut down for two days. Six miles might as well have been sixty. I quick paid for my stuff, and hightailed it out to my snow-covered car, thinking all the while This probably isn't wise, but. . . . It seemed to be getting worse, but since it had just started I thought it was worth trying to get home. Suddenly Crash! I hear an accident far across the parking lot, horns honking, general pandemonium at the aforementioned intersection. Ugh. It started to hail. But the minute I pulled out onto the road I was strangely calm. I can do this, thought I, bravely.
Reader, I made it. I made it home. I drove for about two miles through the frenzied flakes going 4 m.p.h. (which seemed too fast) and then: Just as suddenly, the snow stopped, the sun came out, everything melted, we sped up to 35 m.p.h., and by the time I'd gone from 122nd Ave. to 82nd Ave., it was like it had never happened. I could not believe it. I turned left and continued on down the road to WinCo, where I got two different kinds of sugar-cookie dough, a huge bag of gumdrops, and a new spatula. And some frozen egg-rolls. I tried to tell Andy about it later, when we both got home from different sides of town (turns out there was nary a flurry on his side), and I could quickly see I would have to work to impress here. If I hadn't seen it myself I might not have believed it, but still. (And, by the way, if you couldn't guess yesterday, it was me nagging him about the vet, him nagging me about the toilet; the bit is gender-neutral and works for anyone, anywhere.) "Dude, seriously, I'm serious, it was totally snowing . . . look!" I said, pointing to a teensy little pile of already-dirty snow leftover around the trunk of a tree. "Wow." "I was really scared! I don't know how to drive in the snow anymore! Somebody crashed! I thought I was going to have to sleepover at Fabric Depot!" "Not the worst thing." "I know, but all I ever wanted to do was . . . nevermind."
It was like he was from East Hampton or something. What's up with that.
Im so glad you are safe. That is weird weather you all are having out there. Its weird here, too. High of 64 today. I WANT SNOW THIS CHRISTMAS!!!
The cookies look great. Better than our decapitated and amputeed reindeer and gingerbreadman cookies the girls made last night. ;-)
I know what you mean about 4-way stops. I think it's just too much for some people's brains. Maybe they don't teach it right in Driver's Ed, because there are an awful lot of confused people out there, waiting for someone to wave them through.
Dontcha just hate it when your significant other doesn't get what you're saying? I would have expected you'd be better at it than most, though :)
Up here in Vancouver we had lots of rain, then about 10 min of hail, then rain again. Steve and I were watching out the front window and marvelling at how quickly the wind slanted the hail this way and that. It was like some frenetic dance.
We had a strange weather day yesterday in Montana.
It started in the morning..with rain. Then it turned to sleet. Sleet plus THUNDER and LIGHTNING. The wind was going absolutely nuts -- sounding like it was going to blow out the windows. Then it turned to blizzard conditions -- then suddenly, it was a light little snowfall, all peaceful like. The pug and I were freaked out! :)
Don't you miss Montana? lol
PS -- How did you decorate your sugar cookies? :)
I suddenly want sugar cookies... :)
Weird snow story! I'm glad you made it home safe and sound though! Driving in snow is something I have not attempted yet, and frankly terrifies me. :p
I laughed so hard at your East Hampton comment! How funny...how true! I was in the snow yesterday in Vancouver, WA waiting for my son to get out of school....if you hadn't seen the sky no one would believe it! I was thinking of the Wicked Witch song from Wizard of Oz when I came out of Starbucks! Within minutes it was snowing puffy cotton pieces and lasted for 45 min. at least. I was lucky though...I was just waiting in a school parking lot...not driving the hellish 122nd! Glad you made it home to bad cute little cookies!
Haha, East Hampton, ha! I'm out in Hillsboro and saw the same odd weather! The strangest thing was that it all happened in the span of 10 minutes! It was like Armageddon! Luckily I was indoors (at work, not baking, which is also all I've ever wanted to do!), you are brave for driving in that!
Did you make those sugar cookies out of that store bought sugar cookie roll that you have in the pics? I made some sugar cookies last week with my daughter, but we burned them....and she wants to do it again, but I don't feel like mixing everything up again, chilling, etc. Sooo, please, please, please let me know if that dough is store bought and you rolled it? Please!
Meanwhile over in the UK it's unseasonably warm.
For the second time in almost as many days I misunderstood one of your posts and thought, god forbid, that you'd had a crash. *Must*pay*more*attention!!
At the moment I'm sewing but would much rather be baking...
being a south texas girl i experienced that when in lubbock during my 1st semester in college. dude. i'd never ever driven in snow and all i wanted to do was get to WM for meds...i was sicker than a dog. i feel your fright.
i take that back. all i ever wanted was my mom and that point.
being a south texas girl i experienced that when in lubbock during my 1st semester in college. dude. i'd never ever driven in snow and all i wanted to do was get to WM for meds...i was sicker than a dog. i feel your fright.
i take that back. all i ever wanted was my mom .
Working up to my holiday baking and your cookies look so pretty ..even without the globs of decorations we end up having on ours!
About those 4 way stop things...I firmly believe that they only work in TX! Was just visiting recently and man was I amazed..it was the whole "you go..no please, you go" thing going on. Just wouldn't happen here in the Northeast!
I can only imagine the weather you are having. I was watching on the news last night and I was thinking about you and other bloggers as you are the only one's I know in that area of the country! We could use a bit of that snow..we're just hanging here with short sleeves/no coats and snowman kit ready to go.
In North Portland it was sunny! My hub told me there was snow and I didn't believe him. Oops! I work at a vet and tell your hub that they don't mind when you switch records around! They should be nice. If they aren't write a little complaint to the hospital. I am a stickler for customer service.
sidenote: I think your blog is lovely.
Ugh. Broken stoplights. Heavy intersections. People with *no clue.* Imagine an entire mile, maybe 8-10 stoplights, all out, no way to turn, just sitting, sitting, waiting, swearing at people who get all flustered and don't know if they should go, or shouldn't they, so they just kind of stick out and mess everyone up. I was stuck like that two weeks ago, all I could think was, "People! Can we get a traffic cop or two out here, puh-leeze?" But no. No one heard me, and it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to go less than 5 miles. Sigh. That's time I'll *never* get back! My sympathies! Have a cookie with extra sprinkles. That will make it a little better.
I'm glad you've made it through the storm ok. Now I'm in the mood to bake too!
Scary! Glad to know you are ok. That happened to us last year with a hailstorm. Suddenly, we were caught on the freeway thinking our car was going to be bashed to bits by the hail, it was white as snow everywhere you looked and 10 minutes later it all melted and was gone. We mentioned it to several friends all of whom thought we were cookoo! And we forgot that we had a camera phone, so no proof!
What a joy you are. I can't tell you how delightful your style of writing is and how much I enjoy visiting here. Well, I guess I CAN tell you and I just did. It's soo true and I'm so glad to have found your blog. I also wish I had a cookie. Hugs, Linda
All I ever wanted to do was bake too! I love baking especially at Christmas. Sometimes the build up to it is more enjoyable.
Get some new windowscreen wipers, I just did and it makes things a whole lot easier!
I'm at 30th and Div. It was like being inside a snow globe shaken by a particularly hyper 5 year old--say, my youngest daughter, who along with her older sister was extremely disappointed none of it stuck.
I'm convinced Oregon would be a much safer place to drive if the Oregonians had mandatory drivers ed? Have you ever noticed that you NEVER see driver's ed cars in this state? Not meaning to offend anyone, but golly I spent many weeks before my 16th birthday in a AAA car with an old man driving me all around Granville, Ohio roads.
It may also be a good thing if most people would just hang up and drive. Perhaps then they'd remember first one to the stop sign gets to go, and if you arrive at the same time person on your right has right-away.
Going to bake now! Bake on Alicia... no snow predicted today. But then again I never heard Matt Zaffino mention snow for yesterday :)
I was in NE portland. I saw it! It WAS Weird, and it was just as you described. I have never seen snow cover everything in sight in 45 seconds flat. I went outside and two 13ish year old boys were throwing snowballs. And yes, then it was over and life went back to normal. Strange.
Wow! I'm glad you made it home safe. I've driven in "grey-out" conditions here (rain) and it's a very scary feeling not being able to see ANYTHING. I hope you guys have calmer weather for the rest of the season- things just seem to be really crazy in the pacific northwest right now.
How is Andy doing?
wow, i totally believe you that it was insane, and as i was reading your post i was thinking "oh my gosh! that's SO SCARY!"
yikes!
Ha-ha!This was funny - I can sympathize.
It sounds like the whole northwest was hit with a nor'easter storm yesterday.
I took a photo, so I do have some evidence. Unfortunately, the photo isn't that impressive, so it doesn't really look like it's hailing/snowing, even though it really truly was! Glad you made it home!