Snow Watch

It was an interesting day today, for I was on "snow watch". Snow in the Willamette Valley, where Portland is located, is rare. It snows about as often here as it does in New Orleans. In contrast, about 50 Kl. in several directions are mountains where it snows regularly from November through April. So the natives of Portland do get excited when they are told by meteorologists that it "may snow'. This news came a few days ago and after the snow date was pushed back to today (and pushed back again and again) I got my hopes up for snow and followed the developments hourly.

But Alas! The snow fell all around Portland but none here in the city or suburbs. It seems the cold air mass that was supposed to meet with the rain system already here (it's been raining for two days) decided to move lazily and never did meet over Portland to produce snowfall. Nothings more frustrating that to hear predictions for snow, to see video on TV of it falling just 50 Kl. away and to watch and wait for what never will come.

My only recourse to soothe the insult of the no snow day is to reminice about a snowy day that has melted in all but my memory. The biggest snow I remember there though was when I was about 8 or 9 years old. It snowed 2 to 3 inches on New Year's Eve, a surprise snowstorm. My mom awakened me and said "Get up quickly"! It's snowing." I laughed and denied it, but as I looked out the window to see the heavy snowfall, I raced to put on my clothes and ran outside to the delight of what I thought was the North Pole.

My friends and I, and it seemed, everyone else in the world, played football and other games in it, had snowball fights, built giant snowmen, and slided and glided in the snow until darkness put a halt to it. I can recall changing out of wet clothes at least thre times that day. Oh how I wish I had pictures of that day to accompany the ones imprinted in my mind. Perhaps there are some in a box of family photos I rescued from my parent's house after their deaths. Regardless, that snowfall is considered the heaviest in New Orleans in more than the past 100 years.

I shall always remember it as one of the best days of my life. Today will be a day quickly forgotten.