Flamingos in the Snow

It snows in Seattle every winter but it seldom sticks around long. We have to rush out and play in it before it turns to slush. Not THIS week. It snowed on Saturday night and it is still on the ground, icy and crunchy. In fact, I just checked the Bryant Weather Station reading and it is 19.2 degrees F or -7 degrees. ICY. This picture shows Wren on a walk around the block on Sunday. Wren has a proper respect for cold but Frost has been eager to run out barefoot. Josh let him and he came in crying which is a proper lesson in natural consequences.



This picture is for Natasha in Australia who inspired us to have flamingos. This is what happens to flamingos in the snow.


Anyway, the snow and cold are not all that festive. Schools are starting 2 hours late due to icy roads and Joshua has just left the house [7am, pitch dark, 19 degrees] heading to Lowes to buy a stronger blow-torch. Last night he discovered a section of hose bib in our back yard had frozen. He thawed it (ok, now that doesn't sound so smart in retrospect) and found the pipe had burst. Being Joshua he decided to effect a repair at 8pm despite the dark, cold, ice and lack of plumbing expertise. He had learned how to solder copper pipe by 9pm and by 9.30pm had assembled a repaired patch section. I went to bed.

I woke to find the water still shut off and did some dish washing in last night's bathwater which I had saved. Apparently the cheap blow-torch he bought is unable to heat pipe enough to melt solder in this cold. He ran out of butane and has now gone off to buy a BIGGER blow-torch. What projects can I get up to with the blow-torch we will now own? Heaven knows. He is going to try and cap the line if the patch doesn't work - I don't think it will refreeze quickly enough to stop the leak now that the line is drained and disassembled.

Frost has a cough this morning (again) and they are both watching the Wiggles before yoga time. Wren slept in till 5.30am this morning so I am not too haggard and Josh will be taking the day off to watch Wren for my workshift AND do some pipe repair.

New snow is expected tomorrow and an even colder spell later in the week. You can watch our neighborhood temperatures for yourselves through this link.