A Seldom Seen Seattle Scene

We waited for snow all day yesterday, but it didn't come till last night. And come it did; complete with a rare event called thundersnow. That's a great new word I had never heard until it popped up this morning during a weather report on the radio. Apparently a couple of competing fronts collided over Seattle, causing thunder during the snowstorm. Hence, thundersnow. That's a great name for something; I'm just not sure what.

Here's the view from my window at about 7:30 this morning.










Here's the view down Evanston Ave. I took Farley for a walk not long ago, and like most other dogs, he went nuts. He was harder than usual to handle, and with his four-paw-drive, he had far superior traction to my two-foot version.

As far as I'm concerned, the only negative thing about the snow is that I'm expecting my new ski bindings to arrive by FedEx today. I don't know if FedEx is as dedicated as the no-rain-sleet-or-snow-will-stop-us types at the post office, but I hope they are. I've got new skis and boots and all I'm missing are the bindings. I've got an appointment to have everything put together tomorrow. I hope I can make it, because with all this new snow I can hardly wait to get out on the slopes. And I just know that $1000 worth of new ski equipment will make me a far better skier.






Now for a few political thoughts...

I'm really starting to wonder about Obama and his appointments. He appointed Tom Vilsack as his Agriculture Secretary. Vilsak is the ethanol-feedlot-and-subsidy-loving former governor of Iowa. Then there's Ken Salazar as the Interior Secretary. He's currently a senator from Colorado and has operated a ranch that's been in his family for generations. He's one of the new generation of moderate Democrats who are making life difficult for Republicans in the West. Neither of these guys have strong environmental records, but maybe it's like Nixon's trip to China in that it will take guys like these to clean up the messes of current agri-business practices and subsidies and management of federal lands.

Obama has also named Rick Warren as the pastor who will give the invocation at his inauguration. Rick Warren is the smiling face of the right-wing-whacko-religious fringe, but I think that beneath that smiling face lies a hatred of gays, lesbians, women's rights activists and other secular progressives that isn't much different than that of Falwell or Robertson.

Whatever Obama is up to is working. His poll numbers remain high in the vast middle of the American populace. The only people he's annoying are on the extreme right (who he'll never please), and those on the not-so-extreme left.

For my taste, Obama's leaning too far to the right, but he's a lot smarter than me. I hope he knows what he's doing, and I hope he's not just an exceptionally well-spoken and intelligent, but otherwise run-of-the-mill politician. I voted for change we can believe in.