Last whiff of Hawaii

 

 

Another Pineapple Express before we go back to more typical winter weather. But the bulbs are out of the ground, so there's no holding back Spring. Twisp was warm, but it felt almost tropical in Seattle when I pulled up to the house yesterday after a long, sloppy drive.

The yard in February always looks messy and slightly wrecked. Frankly, gardening is drudgery until you get things whipped into shape again. Then people assume you have a "green thumb" and it just magically happens.

Along our little stretch of riverfront in Twisp, Mother Nature is in charge for better or worse, and the beavers take their tree thinning seriously. I enjoy that yard contrast. What's the point of a vacation home if it isn't different?

Speaking of trees, the olive (above) dropped piles of dead leaves after the record length freeze earlier this month. They can usually survive temperatures down to about 15 degrees, but not for a sustained period. Time will tell.

On the other hand, my old succulent pots look none the worse after being frozen solid. 

Anyway, back to the Senior Center Cafe this morning. There's a new menu with new prices and new complaints to go with it. Oh, boy.

False spring

 

As far as driving conditions go, I couldn't have picked a better time to come over. It got up to 40 degrees yesterday in Twisp and didn't get below freezing last night. In January, the town is typically buried in snow. Winter probably isn't done with them yet, but it looks unseasonably warm and dry right into February.

I made breakfast for the family yesterday, and later, when the sun came out, we hiked up to their property. The snow is usually 3 feet deep on this hill outside of town. Nova went to Wenatchee on a shopping trip with friends, but the rest of us had fun making a snow creature then sledding down the slushy road. Has it really been 60 years since I've been on a sled?

One more day in town, then back to city reality tomorrow. 

A wintry scene

 

It's not nearly as cold outside as it looks. In fact, temperatures are staying above freezing for the next several days. The Valley has a yucky wintry mix this morning, followed by just rain later. As it turned out, yesterday was an excellent window for driving, with dry roads and light traffic.

Those are turkey tracks in our slushy driveway. This is strange weather for late January, when the snow is usually piled high and it stays way below freezing.

Amanda, Tom and Maya are driving all the way to Quincy today (about 4 hours round trip) for Nova's wresting match. I opted to stay home and putter around the house, maybe take a walk later if the weather isn't too miserable.

I had dinner with them last night which was nice. Nova had already left for Quincy with her wresting team, but Maya was home. She is growing and changing so fast, it's like seeing a new girl each time.

But other things never change, like fat Millie in her winter bed behind the wood stove!

 

Friday

 

 

Well, not so fast. I'm keeping an eye on the mountain weather this morning. I like leaving early, but there's an advisory for freezing rain on Snoqualmie Pass, no thanks. Maybe things will improve by mid-morning, or I'll go tomorrow. Or whenever. Another big atmospheric river is aimed at the northwest, which means warm and drenching wet for days to come.

Have a good weekend.

Adjusting our prices

 

Oh, dear. This sign was on the counter yesterday at the Senior Center Cafe. I doubt anyone has paid attention, besides, the print is too small for our customers. They're going to take sudden notice if the dollar cookie doubles, or the cup of soup goes from $3 to $5. 

Frankly, the bottom line issues at the Cafe are more complicated than raising the prices, but I'm just a volunteer and prepared to hear a lot of complaing. 

Well, ho hum. It can't be glamorous Hollywood stuff everyday. The C&P Coffeehouse filming was sure fun, and after any type of publicity, we have an uptick in ukulele interest. 

Probably the biggest hitch is owning an iPad, required for the music. Unlike books, they are difficult to share with newcomers, but when all is said and done, we'll have some new members. A good thing.

More weather whiplash in the Northwest with above normal temps for the next week. The mountain roads are clear, so I'm headed to Twisp tomorrow, although the weather over there looks pretty dismal (slush and rain.) It hasn't been the kind of winter they like, with lots of dry snow and blue skies. 

We haven't been to the house since Thanksgiving, so time to take the decorations down and start the Spring transition. Yea!

Lights, camera, action

 

Most of the network TV stations around the country have their local human interest news programs. In Seattle, NBC (King TV Channel 5) produces "Evening," which airs at 7:30 pm. It's like a light dessert, after the depressing real news.

Anyway, they cover whacky, off-beat stories at different locations around Puget Sound. In that category, they filmed my group, the West Seattle Ukulele Players at C&P Coffeehouse yesterday morning.  

It was fun watching  the host, Jim Dever (a very engaging guy) and his bored cameraman filming the show from the coffeehouse patio. We played for about 2 hours, with most of that ending up on the cutting room floor. However, we are featured in little segments throughout the program, if you can stand all the commercials.

Also interesting, and probably typical, was the shameless jousting of group members for camera time. I was embarrassed for some people! Ukulele players are not a shy bunch and love the spotlight. Anyway, I just sat back and watched the show going on, so you you'll only catch a glimpse of me. I'm wearing a brown Pendleton coat.

Click HERE for the link.