Seattle dries out after heavy rains, Haitian relief escalates and Happy Birthday, Michelle

The Seattle Chamber of Commerce is probably not going to like us very much, but honesty compels. This is what it looks like in this town sometimes. This was taken in the University District of Seattle over the weekend. Photo by MS(R)M

Hi again and yep, from the ramparts of the Bastion on the Puget Sound, it’s been another interesting week. January’s been an exceptionally wet month, with most of the western part of Washington on flood and landslide alert. But it’s nothing compared to what Haiti and other parts of North America and the UK have gone through. We’re cognizant of that and reflecting on it some as we dry out.

Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to all those impacted by the Haiti Quake. We are very proud that two former American presidents for forming a non-partisan organization to fund the long haul restoration of that devastated island nation. We also applaud President Barack Obama and his staff for, what in our personal experience at the trenches end of this kind of thing, has been a prompt, measured and well orchestrated response to this natural disaster.

Given that my own True North was among the first to respond, that gratitude extends to Canada and some beyond the five flags this modest weekly ezine reaches.

The entire international community is united in this one and I’m encouraged. It seems that more and more of us agree with English cleric and essayist John Donne, who, in Meditations 17, contended that no man is an island.

Thank you, one and all and that having been said and some closer to home…

We are also flying the Northstar flag at half mast this week as Washington State mourns the loss of one of its own to the earthquake in Haiti. The body of 22-year-old Molly Hightower was found in the wreckage of the orphanage where she worked as a volunteer. Molly was a credit to her country, her region, her community and her family. If you’d like to be inspired by a good example, please go here.

And yes, the Michelle in the headline is Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, daughter of blue collar stock in Chicago who took her bachelors in sociology from Princeton and her law degree from Harvard and was a corporate lawyer assigned to mentor a new attorney when she met her husband.

So we’d like to take this opportunity to wish America’s First Lady a happy birthday. She turned 46 this past Sunday, January 17. For more on this remarkable individual, please go here.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

There’s a certain irony in this one. At press time, we’re still watching the results of the senatorial race in Massachusetts. Their Democratic candidate and our governor, Christine Gregoire, have something in common besides gender and political affiliation. Chris was Washington State’s attorney general before she became our state’s chief executive. She’s promised to create 40,000 jobs at a time when there are a third of a million of us on unemployment. To find out why I think she’s going to be able to pull this off, please go here.

MORE GOOD NEWS

We meant to run this one last week but Haiti took center stage. Seven women from the International Community celebrated the new decade by skiing to the South Pole. This one’s in the finest tradition of Shackleton and Amudsen both and coming from a gene pool of strong women, I just rocked with this one and I have a feeling some of you will too. This is REAL adventure. So yep, please go here.

CRITTER STUFF

Well, thank you very much to a very distant cousin in Australia for this one. Not being inclined to dance with wolves or swim with anything bigger than I am, I remain terminally baffled by this one. I am, however reminded (constantly, sigh) that this would be a pretty boring little magazine if we had to rely on me for content. So yep, this one is about the thrill of going to Fiji and getting in the water with sharks. Have fun being a Devonian lunch and tell ‘em Charlie sent ya. Sharks. Brrrrrrrrrr.

Back on dry land and closer to home that Fiji, a species which was once nearly hunted into extinction in the Cascade Mountains of the American Pacific Northwest, and with which I’ve had some personal experience, is not only surviving but expanding its range. Yep, the howl of the wolf is being heard once again in the Deep Reaches.

If you’ve ever gone back three days into these or any other peaks and heard the primordial symphony these majestic creatures create, you’ll understand why some of us welcome them back as neighbors. For more on this one, please go here.

FROM YOU GUYS FOR YOU GUYS

FROM WINTER THE DOLPHIN AND OUR FRIENDS AT THE CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM

We are all aware of the tragedy that is currently occurring in Haiti. CMA is doing our part by helping the Hilton Clearwater Beach collect donations for the relief effort. Hilton Clearwater Beach has received a donation of a 40’ container from A-Saf-T-Box and it is up to us to help fill it. Hilton will be accepting donations and Clean the World will pick up the container as it gets full to have it shipped.

The Haitian community is in need of canned food, clothing, packaged bottled cases of water, sheets, towels, blankets, hygiene products (shaving cream, razors, soap, lotions, deodorant, tooth brushes & tooth paste), and any pre-packaged, pre-made foods and products that don’t require cooking. This is one of several large hygiene product collections that Clean the World is currently mobilizing and organizing in addition to their normal processing and collection. Additionally, Royal Caribbean has graciously offered space on cruise ships this weekend and next weekend to deliver hygiene products into the northern region of Haiti, where Clean the World has direct distribution on the ground.

Cap Haitien Health Network and Evangelical Church of Haiti (ECH) will assist in providing transportation from the northern region into the impact zone as soon as the items arrive. As a CMA supporter, we know you want to make a difference and this is a wonderful opportunity to directly assist in the relief efforts. To make a donation, simply bring your items directly to the bell station at Hilton Clearwater Beach between 9am and 5pm each day this week. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to Mike Morris at mike.morris@hilton.com or 727-461-3222 ext. 195.

For more information about Clean the World, visit http://www.cleantheworld.org. For information about Hilton Clearwater Beach visit http://www.clearwaterbeachresort.com.

Thank you for your support~

Click here to learn more about Clearwater Marine Aquarium or become a member of the CMA family

FROM BELOW THE MASON DIXON IN RESPONSE TO OUR ITEM ABOUT ARLINGTON, WASHINGTON GOATS EATING RECYCLED CHRISTMAS TREES

Here in the South, Christmas trees are frequently tied together along with a concrete block and put in lakes and ponds to build structure where bass and crappies can be found soon after the immersion. Many of them don't go to waste or wind up in a landfill. I abhor the cutting of trees and believe that Christmas trees should only be purchased at a Christmas tree farm. As a youth and even as a young father I went on the Christmas tree cutting expedition but as I've aged my views, as is often the case, have changed. The older I get, the more amazed I am at how much I DON'T know

Well, this one’s not exactly in the category of YOU GUYS THINK I MAKE THIS STUFF UP. It’s more insidious. It’s like WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! . There’s an eight-year-old New Jersey Cub Scout whose mother swears that young man cannot get on commercial transportation without a lot of extra hassle simply because he’s on the Transportation Security Administration’s Watch List.

And he’s only on that list because he shares the same name as someone (we can only assume, at this point) who “deserves” to be on it. Unflipping real that some acreage in Detroit almost became scorched earth because of someone who should have been on it was not caught and this evolving Boy Scout gets a bad time from the country he’s in training to serve. I guess this belongs under yet a third category. GIME ME A BREAK.

That’s it for this week. We’ve got some cool stuff down below you might want to check out. Stay the course, gang. We’re getting there and we’re going to make it. And thanks once again for the ear. And stuff.

Rusty



NORTHSTAR RECOMMENDS (and also looks for same from you guys)


FUN STUFF

Interactive

Take this test to see how your memory compares with the average. Click here for fun games to improve your memory.

Virtual Experiences

How about a trip to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to watch a couple of grizzly bears in their Northwest setting? Yep, click here and thanks to our friends at Puget Sound NBC affiliate KING 5.

If you’re into a real interesting and visual escape, we certainly recommend The Art In LA website. It’s a virtual art gallery created by a real gentle, occasionally obnoxious but totally good-hearted soul with standards as fine as those of any engineer I’ve ever met. It’s also a good place for healthy meditation. If you’re lucky, you might just run into the artist herself. Her name is Colleen and she’s a trip, trust me. Yep, she was born under the fourth flag on our masthead.

REVIEWS

Music CDs

Over the holidays, I had a chance to experience Susan Boyle’s “I Dream A Dream” CD. And if ever there was a good time for this one, it is surely now, when it seems as though the whole world could use some hope, some inspiration and an example of how a complicated soul simply expressed can make a difference. I was a professional dance and show combo leader with time in grade at 18 and I know what it takes to move an audience.

It’s a lot more than just being able to sing well. To sing for working class people, who don’t really believe anybody who hasn’t been where they have, it takes being able to get inside the song and become that song.

Check out the selections on her CD. They include: Wild Horses; I Dreamed A Dream; Cry Me A River; How Great Thou Art; You’ll See; Daydream Believer; Up To The Mountain; Amazing Grace; Who I Was Born To Be; Proud; The End of the World; and Silent Night.

Susan does that with each and every one of them. Getting into the song and becoming the song. Like most folks, I suspect, I wanted to hear I Dream A Dream first. That was the same stellar experience the first time I watched her totally wow a panel of British judges and then do it all over again in the Colonies as it were.

As I listened, though, to the other songs, I totally forgot about Susan, the one who did that one. Like she did, I became the soul of those for whom these songs are written and for whom she sings them. It wasn’t hard because I am one of those.

And as haunted as hard times make all of us, including me, she took me to a place where people experience it about as deep as it cuts and yet survive to grow and find a better life. She made me feel a little less lonely and a lot more connected.

I was brought up to believe that whatever a person did in this life, they should never forget who they are as a person. Ms. Boyle has done that both by personal example and in her art. I expect me and mine will be in her debt for some while.

Thank you, Susan, Lass. We are honoured by your society.

To purchase this online, we invite you to go here.

Good Reads

For those into words that resonate, there are fewer finer contemporary craftsman I know than a man named Mike Browne, professionally known as Tomatoman Mike and the publisher of The Tomato Man Times. He’s as Northern Californian as John Steinbeck, albeit with a dash of Sam Clemmons, Bret Harte and Robert W. Service in him. He’s a romp to read, trust me.

FOR YOUR ONLINE SHOPPING CONVENIENCE

We invite you to do all your amazon.com through by tapping the photo of Susan or the ad. The Northstar Journal receives a 15% commission on whatever you purchase through this link.

SURVIVING HARD TIMES

I made chowder, you made pickles. Let’s trade
I so love it when my “home and native land” proves yet again that they have something to teach the International Community about surviving hard times. You’ll love this one, gang. With thanks to the Toronto Globe & Mail.

And lest we think this is limited to country folk, consider this one, headlined, Bootstrapping taken to new extremes in tech industry

Or how about a seasonable application regarding Christmas trees? (This will be a real stretch for those of you in Toronto, New York, Dublin, London and Paris) Ever imagine having one delivered to your home by bicycle? Real close to the category of You Guys Think I Make This Stuff Up so by all means, go here ye yahoos of little faith

HEALTH

Ten foods that really do help prevent cancer.

If you’d like to know whether your eating habits are either adding years to your life or taking them off, take this RealAge quiz. It will not only score your real age against your health age but give you a program for improvement. I’ve been working this one for about a month now and yep, I feel a lot better.

Want to know how to live to be 100? Try this one.

Ever had trouble getting behind eating a lot of fruits and vegetables despite how good they are for you? Ever had trouble selling that one to your kids and grandkids? Ever been totally sold on the idea then gone to the market and been totally tasered by the price of good health in some places? If your answer is yes to any or all of the above, you really need to check this site out. Fruits and veggies: more matters.

ONLINE TOOLS FOR THE KIT

WorldStart.com - The best source of computer information, tips, education, entertainment, industry news, graphics and useful websites.

PC World – This is the best source we’ve found yet for totally free, useful, reliable and secure (no viruses) downloads ranging from games through utilities and with a nice selection of screen savers, etc. What I particularly appreciate about it is how easy the site is to navigate. They also have a daily letter featuring two “daily downloads.”

CCleaner - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com
The home of Spybot-S&D! “For the past few years I've been using two free programs to remove the tracking cookies we accumulate every time we visit a site. Both have proven safe and reliable. Try them. You'll be surprised at the amount of binary barnacles your pore little hard accumulates as it sails the cyber seas. Sorry, but neither program eliminates alliterative purple patch prose. Like mine.”
Mike Browne, Sacramento, CA

Free People Search – This is an American online White Pages that I found really simple, quick and user friendly. I looked for myself under the several versions of my name and it found them all. It’s also free and doesn’t involve anything to download.

Know Thy Elected Officials - Just type in your zip code and this site will supply you with the names and contact information for your legislators from the state level up. This is a two click site with a host of other relevant features.

MEDIA

Overview

For those interested in what’s going on in the world of magazines and newspapers in general, we highly recommend Woodenhorsepub.com. They publish a weekly online newsletter for media professionals and for readers simply interested in the future of the publications they enjoy and an advance on new ones they might. Their website is located here.

Entertainment

U Got Style is a monthly ezine dedicated to independent films. Fully illustrated, it features hard news, interviews, reviews and a wide variety of other information. It’s also fun to read.

Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean – Live from the smallest record store in North America. Canadian humor, entertainment and commentary at its maple leaf best. Popular on National Public Radio in the States.

BBC Knowledge Magazine – designed to give the American magazine National Geographic the proverbial run for its money,

News

BBC – Best source of international news.

The New York Times – Best source of American news.

The Vancouver Sun -- outstanding source for Canadian national, provincial, and world news.

Reuters – Best source of an international perspective on American headlines.

Sightline Daily (formerly Tidepool) – Best source of Pacific Northwest regional news. Delivered daily by email, it covers Alaska, British Columbia, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. They also put out an excellent weekly environmental edition.

KING 5 News – Best source of video news of Seattle and the Greater Puget Sound.

Talent For Hire
Rusty Miller, Freelance Photojournalist – Whether it’s a one time press release, book or product review, difficult business correspondence, resume or classified ad composition you need, take a look at the services offered menu on my writer-for-hire homepage and we’ll get together on it.

Are you a travel editor looking for color shots of Seattle? Are you an art dealer looking for new work to carry on consignment? You might enjoy checking out a gallery of my work for sale

A GOOD PEFORMANCE, FULL OF PROMISE, THUNDER AND HOPE; AND ANOTHER EVERGREEN STATER GOES TO THE WASHINGTON ON THE POTOMAC

Former Washington State Gov. Gary Locke

Well, as I’m writing this, I’m also waiting for Barack to say something that will break his rolling chain of golden eloquence. (a few minutes later) Well, turns out he didn’t and I’m some relieved. Seems to me there’s a rusty old saw someplace that says that the longer the speech, the greater the chance of blowing it big time. This president is perhaps the greatest orator we’ve ever had and likely the most closely scrutinized. No pressure there, eh? Max dropped by to watch it with me and at one point, we looked at each other and he grinned.

"The President is pissed."

"Big time."

We figured Barak had been saving some of this up, the way he rolled out with it. He’s been slammed a lot lately for his poor cabinet choices, "his failure" to generate more bipartisan support for his economic stimulus package; his implicit insistence that education and the arts were also part of the recovery process and his consistent tendency to read the American public and respond to them, rather than the media. He doesn’t wait for the input of his constituency, he goes out looking for it.

At one point, Max mimed reaching for a fourth of July sparkler, lighting it, and waving it. I was hearing Kate Smith singing "God Bless America," and getting teary-eyed before Max took a swig of his root beer, belched and observed,

"Good staging."

I enjoyed it, both as good television and for the performances. Now, though, it seems like the time for talking about this is over. It’s filtering down to the state level and even though Seattle’s Viaduct project didn’t get funded, Governor Christine got ahold of Mayor Greg and said she’d work to get other federal funding for it. She’ll contact Senator Patti and the Representatives involved and eventually, it’ll get done. He tells that to his constituency, then gets on with the other business at hand.

I hope that happens soon. According to our local NBC affiliate, KING 5 News, Seattle now ranks as the 10th most congested metropolitan area in the United States. That Viaduct project, like the proposed light rail system, isn’t just necessary. It’s long overdue.

Where it’s possible, I still favor a minimum reliance on federal support. I’m also a proponent of regional economic independence. I think that if the Northwest is handling the current fiscal downturn any better than other parts of the country, it’s because we’ve learned the hard way what happens with an over-dependence on the international market place.

Now that green’s been proven profitable, there’s a stampede in that direction and the industrial processes themselves are environmentally viable. They’re ideal for a small community or co-op approach, as well.

The same "revolution" has taken place in organic farming in North America. Europe’s decades ahead of us and so are other parts of the world, including Japan. Now, community gardens and small farms employing more human beings and fewer machines are not only viable, but extremely appropriate. Here in Seattle, there are low cost housing units for seniors going up which offer rooftop garden plots.

We were headed down this road before this latest economic down turn and I think it’s a real plus that we’ve blended the two priorities. Considering it was over-industrialization driven by unrealistic expectations that contributed so substantially to planetary pollution and global warning in the first place, this looks like one solution derived directly from the problem. That kind of straight-line thinking is encouraging to me.

It’s also validating to see another Evergreen State native headed for the "other Washington". Former Governor Gary Locke, the first Chinese American elected to that office, has been tapped by President Obama as Commerce Secretary. Gary’s well-qualified for the position and he’s honest. The White House seems to be making more appropriate choices in these regards and yep, that’s another reason to be guardedly optimistic.

Until next week, then, take care, stay well and God Bless.

Rusty

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LINKS TO RELEVANT SITES:
The PCC Sounder Consumer
Sightline Daily

SEATTLE SKETCHES - MR. SIMS GOES TO WASHINGTON

Seattle Skyline - photo by MS(R)M

Howdy, rowdies, from sunny Seattle. Nice to be able to say that after all this snow and ice we’ve had this winter. Hope the good weather lasts but Rainier Ralph, the beaver, (we don’t have groundhogs) saw his shadow Monday, so it looks like another six weeks of rain. Unless we get another earthquake like we had last week. Or the Lady Volcano decides to throw a hissy fit. I’ve been polling the locals and either is preferable to more wet stuff falling from the sky.

Which means we’ll probably get 42 straight days of liquid sunshine. Seattle’s like that. It’s built on seven hills in the shadow of a rain forest and enjoys about eight microclimates. The Emerald City has multiple personality disorder and that’s not surprising considering downtown had to be rebuilt on higher ground after the tides kept making the toilets back up. In winter, it’s a great place to live if you’re a duck. Or related to one. Some of us have been here so long, we’ve got webs between our fingers and toes. (Putting my hands in my pockets)

We’re also the fashion capital of the Pacific Northwest, which is to say that after grunge, we sort of slid further into the Land of Laid Back. So many of us are descended from Klondike claim jumpers that we don’t wear ties because it’s too convenient to hang us with them. We prefer Birkenstocks to boots, even in winter, because sandals and wool socks are easier to dry out than Gucci leather and somewhat kinder on the cow. As a general rule, we’re almost as polite as Canadians except when something happens far away that gives us an excuse to yell a lot in support of lofty causes. Once we get it out of our system, we retire to a neighborhood pub to quench our thirst with a politically correct microbrew.

It’s also a good place to be a woman or a minority in politics. Our governor, Christine Gregoire, is the second of her gender to hold that office in 40 years. Our two U.S. Senators are Maria Cantwell and Patti Murray. We’ve got a green mayor, Greg Nickels, who banned bottled water from city offices after piling up a month’s worth of empty plastic bottles on the steps of City Hall to make his point. Ron Sims, a black man, has been our county executive since 1996, when he took over from Gary Locke, who became our first Japanese American governor. Ron’s been appointed deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and will be in charge of HUD's day-to-day operations, a nearly $39 billion annual operating budget and 8,500 employees. He’s squeaky clean so his confirmation by the Senate is not expected to be a problem.

And he’s not likely to be the minor embarrassment Heath and Human Services Secretary nominee Tom Daschle has been over that $120,000 in taxes he said he forgot to pay. I just hope he keeps better track of our money than he did his own. It does bother me a little, though, that this is the second Obama appointee with a bad memory. But I guess if the guy who’s now running the IRS after disclosure of his tax-paying problems can get confirmed, we shouldn’t be too surprised if the individual responsible for the national health policies of America slides into the cabinet as well. I guess that’s why a surgeon never works alone in an operating room. I do wonder how many times we’re going to hear "oops" again though. After eight years of the Great Decider, I don’t imagine the national constituency is going to be quite as patient as they’ve been in times past.

I know I’m not. So good luck, Ron. Don’t let ‘em rub off on you.

A PARTIAL WISH LIST FOR THE COMING YEAR

Hi, again, folks, this time from Soggy Seattle. Now that the snows have stopped and melted off some, our rivers are doing something they don’t usually do until Spring. Imagine that’s familiar to a lot of you folks about now.

All in all, we’re handling it real well and so far, mostly without the help of the federal government. The Army Corps of Engineers has been activated to help out, and if necessary, Governor Chris will call out units of the Washington State National Guard in dryer places. As close as we all are in this region, it won’t be a big call out. Most of our daughters and sons, fathers and mothers, cousins, et al will already be where they’re needed.

Yes, there have been tragedies associated with this and our time of mourning will come. Right now, we’re still rescuing the living. We do, however, truly appreciate the concern expressed from those in other parts of the States, Canada and abroad. Compassion is not lost on us. And we do remember far longer, those who stood by us in hard times than we ever will those we attracted during good. Thank you, then, eh?

Well, so far, I’ve evaded every editorialist’s annual responsibility to predict what’s in store for us the rest of the year. As some of you know, I’ve done that in years past and did last year, as well. Alas and alack and stuff, I’ve found out I’m not as good at it as I once was. Like Grandpa Seamus used to say, "If you can’t remember the cards, time to get out of the game."

So this year, I’d like, instead, to share with you what I HOPE happens?

I’d like to see economics shift from national to regional to serve first local markets and then the rest of the nation. I realize that in order to do that, we’re going to have to scale back some but we’re already seeing the precursor to that in certain businesses like Subway adjusting their prices to their consumer base. Seems to me that’s the kind of flexibility necessary right now for any of this to work.

Each region of this nation has something unique for "export". Each region in this nation is capable of economic independence by appropriately using its available resources. Every region has universities doing research in everything from environmentally appropriate agriculture to integrated energy sources to alternative transportation.

The historical precedent for the shift is there. And every civilization, present and past, has gone through the same evolution. America moved from the predominantly agrarian to the highly industrialized and into the technological. The scientific and technology communities have not failed us. Our own greed did. But both communities are still there as resources.

I had the rare privilege, during the late Seventies, to read a ‘novel’ entitled Ecotopia. That small book and it’s prequel and sequel, talked about a regionally environmentally appropriate, stable state economy. Despite some of its Swiftian overtones and its premise that for Ecotopia to fully evolve, it needed to secede from the Union (Why am I seeing a smile of the faces of some of you who live below the Mason Dixon, north of Monterrey, California or in Quebec province now?), it works from a technological perspective.

Ecotopia, as a regionally adapted model, was and is both plausible and possible, certainly more now than when the books were written, some three-plus decades ago. An article in one of last month’s editions of the New York Times seems to support that contention, as well, by the way.

Perhaps as a sidenote, I also had the unforgettable experience of meeting the author, Ernest ‘Chick’ Callenbach. He was also at that time, the editor of the University of California’s Film Quarterly. He was a man of the arts, with an appreciation for and an understanding of appropriately applied technology. A soft-spoken, gentle man, he was also the father of two sons he did not want going to war.

So another thing I hope for this year is that there will be a renewed interest in his books as a viable resource. I’d like, as well, for some soft media attention to be focused on him for his ideas in these regards. In my mind, in times like these, he’s one of our best thinkers. And he’s not going to be around forever.

I also hope, as much for my own region, as for others, that we take another look at "land use". I’d like to see us go back to the earliest studies of the Pacific Northwest and, because I live here, the Puget Sound. We superimposed our needs on this land and at first, I think that was okay. But when we grew too large by cutting down too many trees, etc., we ultimately ended up ~ have and still do ~ spending more on disaster control (which never really works here), disaster mitigation and disaster victim relief than we would have if we’d just sited ourselves more appropriately.

There seems to be this stubborn streak in some of us that makes it okay to get washed away and then rebuild on the same flood plain without, apparently, much thought to moving to higher ground. Grandpa Seamus would have accorded them that right under the U.S. Constitution but he would not have paid one dime in taxes to support, enable or perpetuate that particular brand of foolish thinking or behavior.

Most of all, I hope we remember that we got ourselves into this and if we really want things to be better, we will work together to get ourselves out. Several blogs ago, I issued a call for ideas in these regards and I’m renewing that call again.

Rusty

P.S. I want to take this opportunity to express my personal appreciation for the response I received from this last blog about Samantha and what she’s going through. I owe particular gratitude to another Native American, fellow Northern Californian and Vietnam veteran, Mr. Tom Two Crows. Thank you, Chief. I passed the word along.

FROM SNOWBOUND SEATTLE

My Street

Seattle, Washington

Day 1

"The Storm of 2008"

Photo by Merritt Scott Miller

Well, hello again, from snowbound Seattle. It’s been real fun here the last week or so and I imagine a lot of you in other parts of the States, in Canada, the U.K., France and California can relate to that.

It doesn’t snow here that often and this is the most ambitious I’ve seen in the 18 years I’ve been here. There were two memorable ones before that but they were single storm occasions. We’ve been slammed by three so far and snow’s expected until Saturday.

We’re built on seven hills, two lakes and a bay. To our backs are the Cascade Mountains. To the west, across Elliot Bay and our portion of the Puget Sound, there are the Olympic Mountains of the peninsula of the same name. Beyond them lies the vast and mighty North Pacific. North and south, along the I-5 corridor, which runs from the Canadian Border to the Mexican, there is the Fraser River Valley of British Columbia, a funnel for the Chinooks which barrel in from the Arctic. To the south, the mighty Columbia River and then Oregon beyond.

I was partly raised in high mountain snow country and I’ve spent several winters deep in the Cascades, once in a rough timber and plywood shack with a corrugated tin roof and a Fraser potbelly stove for heat. No electricity, running water or telephone. Two Coleman lanterns and a Coleman stove for backup. An am/fm radio for company and the nearest town, Canyonville (pop. 500) about an hour away. I had a 1984 VW Bug and I worked as a ranch hand.

I’m no stranger to this kind of weather and I admire those who can adapt to it as well as my neighbors have. Something happened the other day that made me laugh and admire them both.

Our local NBC affiliate, KING5 (link) showed a predawn clip of a Seattle Police cruiser, with chains, make two unsuccessful attempts to drive up one of our seven hills. I admired the dedication involved but then I got to thinking. (Yep, you’re way ahead of me.) Burglars watch television too. And some of them come from places way colder than this.

Nope, the crime wave never happened, which tells me that even a burglar wouldn’t go out in weather like this. I’m from a family line that produced a couple of them and that is saying something. Trust me on this, folks.

It’s hit us hard, too. In some ways, but not in all. Our emergency services were prepared for this and I’ve got nothing but the highest of praise for them, my dig at the Seattle Police Department notwithstanding.

I live across a ship canal from Seattle, in the University (of Washington) District. Our mercantile establishment has not shut down and though we may not be able to drive to a mall or to one of the prestigious department stores downtown, we can still make a good Christmas and now we have another reason for cutting back besides being either laid off, let go or worried about our jobs. We can blame it on the weather. And knowing us, we probably will.

As of this writing, Sea-Tac Airport is closed, stranding thousands of people. Considering the weather where the majority of these flights come from or connect to, that’s not such a bad thing. Those folks in that airliner in Denver were very, very, very lucky. Nothing’s flying in and out of Seattle but nothing’s crashing and burning either.

Our buses still run, though not always on schedule. But it’s better than a couple of storms past when they ran on the freeway during a blizzard and then had to pull off finally and give passengers a choice between walking to a place where they could be picked up or waiting in a cold bus.

Nobody’s going to lose their job for not showing up to work or being late. We’re host to more than several international corporate operations here, a dozen reputable colleges and universities, some of the finest medical research and hospital care facilities in the world. Those who work at these places know how important it is to be there. Those who employ them know how important it is not to lose them. Adjustments are made.

It’s likely that before this is all over, this will also be our state’s Katrina, when it’s taken into consideration the massive flooding we experienced behind torrential rains in October and November. But I doubt it will be publicized as such and I would be very surprised if Governor Christine appeals to the federal government for help.

Despite all the industrialization Boeing and the Second World War, and Weyerhaeuser and Microsoft have brought to Seattle, we still haven’t been a city long enough to acquire the sophistication of New York, the Dixie charm of Atlanta, the totally rowdy and go for it attitude of Dallas-Ft. Worth, the dedication to the heartland of Chicago, the gritty glitz and glamour of Los Angeles and the "what box do you want me to think beyond now?" attitude of San Francisco.

We are, however, a small megalopolis which has more to teach about "community" than it has to learn. I suspect most of you can profoundly relate to that.

Take care, stay well and God Bless.

Rusty