Monday, March 23, 2009

Crushed Ice falling from the sky

I remember last year about this time, I'd just moved to the West Coast. Hailstones the size of ping ping balls fell from the sky, the hills were covered in snow, and huge drifts of white stuff blew on the wind. Not snow, but milkweed.

Everywhere I looked (when it wasn't hailing) the valleys were sheeted in walls of prickly yellow bushes. Later I found out the stuff was witches broom. Funny, back East people buy witches broom as a novelty--out here, it grows like yellow fire. Between the milkweed and broom, it's allergy central. My mom says I can't be allergic to the witches broom, because everyone knows it's really the pine pollen. I didn't think I'd be moving someplace where you have to argue exactly what you're wheezing about.

The day I moved into my new house, I had to call Cowboy, "hey--crushed ice is falling from the sky." He humored me, because everyone knows crushed ice doesn't fall from the sky. Today, crushed ice fell from the sky again, covered the rail outside my window, and what's left of my thyme plants. The crazy Seattle people ran around in shorts, short-sleeved t-shirts and flip-flops.

Two months ago, when it was snowing and iced over, I asked someone if I needed snow chains and he laughed. "It doesn't snow here in Seattle." Now that the ice-melt and shovels are on sale, I'm stocking up.

The weather's following me.

6 comments:

Jennifer McKenzie said...

LMAO!!!! You are a force of nature that's for sure.
Has it been a YEAR? Jeez. Dayna's boy is a year today and it just seems like it flew by so fast.
You survived the West Coast for a whole year! YAYYYY!!
We had some crushed ice fall from the sky here too.

Anonymous said...

So you're the one to blame for the more wintry stuff out here! ;o)

My mom, husband, and daughter are all allergic to witch's broom. I'm sure it's been medically confirmed somewhere...Anyway, it gets them, and pine trees don't.

Unknown said...

lol, Jen--Happy birthday to Dayna's son :) It does seem like a fast year--I dunno, it's weird.

You're in N. CA and it rained crushed ice there, too? I'll never understand the West Coast.

I need to tell my mom other people are also allergic to witches broom, Deanna. Until I got here (with my inexhaustible curiosity over exactly what was turning my car yellow, and what all the white stuff was,) my family had no clue what it was called, just that it was yellow and maybe it was some kind of marigold.

I'm hoping if I close my eyes winter will go away (or so I hope) :)

Kaige said...

Ugh, I hate yellow cars. We bought two gold ones in Austin just so they wouldn't show the pollen so bad. I do NOT miss Cedar Fever season. I do NOT miss that first mowing of hay either. My eyes used to water so bad in HS, people would ask me why I was crying.

We had actual rain here yesterday in SD. Couldn't figure out what that funny sound like running water was again. We get crushed ice every so often too. It's kinda neat when there's enough it looks almost like snow. LOL

Jeanna said...

Well that should take care of the allergies, then.
The words "hail damage" are part of the MSRP around here.
Crushed ice, very nice. I miss your Weltyesque ambietic (sure, I make up words when it suits me) flights of fancy.
I hear you about the shorts, tees, and flip flops when boots and a parka is under dressing. Around here we call them students.

Anonymous said...

Hey, I've seen crushed ice fall a few times. Not as often as I've seen the round stuff, but often enough not to question you.