Snow in October? And then some...

Well, this definitely does not happen in Seattle...

Late Tuesday night it started snowing...and to Mom's surprise it did not stop for almost two full days. The local schools were cancelled Wednesday in advance of the burgeoning snow storm; Thursday they were closed for just reason, nearly two feet of snow on the ground (depending on where you were i.e. elevation). Here in the Ranch (elevation 5950), we had a verified total of 19.5 inches as of the 5:00 news on Thursday (but it was still snowing).

On Wed, Mom and the kids were housebound. Ditto for Thursday. By Friday a thaw was in the works and any excuse to exit the house was green-lighted. Dad ventured out to work each day...avoiding the peril from the last snowstorm (see December entries and broken bones...).

Though they were housebound, Mom bundled the kids up for adventures in the snow. Hank was not too enthused (even though he's smiling here) with the idea. Here he gets to watch from the stroller, under the protection of the garage, as Mom and Ella romp in the snow.

Mom made a clutch purchase at Costco earlier in the week! It's hard to hold on with mittens...

Well, Ella is about 3 feet tall...

Unbeknownst to us, our home's position on the street combined with backing on to green space leads to a bit of drifting in our direction....

No one's headed out the back door. Dad can't wait to shovel the deck...

The playhouse offered a measure of protection from the elements...

Don't look Mom as Dad and Ella attempt to sled down the stairs...once the path was created it made a better slide then sled track.

Some smiles despite the cold!

A few more years Hank...then spectator status will be revoked!

It will likely be gone before we know it...50 degrees on Halloween and 60 by Monday...as Mom pointed out, we don't have to watch the snow get dirty or "yellow"...