Thank you, Mother Nature.

I gave you a hard time back in December. Called you a tease. But the slight was well-deserved, because time and again you tantalized we snow-lovers with promises of frosty, white beauty – only to snatch it all away. You rained on our parade, and I mean that literally (well, except for the parade part). The East Coast was being deluged by snowstorm after snowstorm, while all I could do was listen enviously to the news reports. In the darkest recesses of my mind, I contemplated moving to upstate New York or Massachusetts – or maybe even Maine (after all, if it’s good enough for Stephen King to call home, I’m already half-sold on the idea) just so I could enjoy a few snowflakes every winter. I could never actually do that, of course. I love the Pacific Northwest too much to ever leave. Portland is in my blood. I just wish it would snow here more often.

So, when local meteorologists started calling for a snowstorm this week, I had what theologians call “a decided lack of faith.” As usual, the hype machine went into overdrive around these parts. There was Portland mayor Sam Adams holding a press conference Tuesday evening, offering reassuring words to the public, including the statement, “Don’t drive without a survival kit that includes food.” A stern warning for a storm that promised, at most, a few inches of snow. But then again, Portlanders overreact when it comes to snow, a fact I covered in my handy, pocket guide to the Pacific Northwest. And then when the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning, I thought, “We’re screwed.” Because nothing screams “jinx!” like overinflated hype of that sort. Sure enough, yesterday’s forecast of snow by noon suddenly turned into “rain, changing to snow after midnight.” Here we go again, I thought, and headed over to my parents’ house for dinner, where I bitched about the weather incessantly. But hey, the spaghetti was good.

Fast-forward a few hours. I kept glancing outside, calling on my latent psychic abilities and trying to will it to snow. And what do you know, it worked! Around 10 PM snow started falling at my house, and when I went to bed shortly after 11:00, we’d picked up over an inch. What’s odd is, a friend of mine went to pick a buddy up from the airport (fifteen minutes from my house) at the same time last night, and he said it was clear at the time. Holy crap, I really can control the weather! Who knew? Must. Use. These. Powers. For. Good.

I snapped this photo right before bed. See? I made it snow!

And then, early this morning, it started snowing again. I woke up at 7:00, saw the landscape coated beneath a pristine blanket of white, and my first thought was, $%&! – they actually got the forecast right for a change! And then I leapt out of bed, showered quickly, gulped down a cup of coffee, and headed outside. All the schools were closed, but I don’t have the kids this week, so I was free to explore on my own.

There's a natural wetlands area behind my condo complex, and everything back there was coated in white.

We ended up with about 4" of snow - not a lot compared with other parts of the country, but for us, the most we've seen since 2008.

After walking around my ‘hood for awhile, I decided to hit the streets and explore some other spots around town. Remember how I said the news media goes nuts anytime a few flakes begin to fly? Proof of that was found a few blocks from home, where I came across one of the local television news stations setting up shop in a parking lot.

One of the local news crews staking out a happenin' spot to report from!

Live and on the scene, our intrepid reporting team beaming back snowy images to the television masses.

I know this is just a road, but it's rare to see it all white and snowy.

The clouds broke up as I arrived at Orchards Park. The snow-covered trees were gorgeous against a dazzling blue backdrop.

My next stop was Burnt Bridge Creek for a walk along the greenway. Looked more like a "whiteway" today.

One final shot of the snow, the sky, the trees...

I swear, I’m like an excited little kid whenever it snows. I traipsed about for hours and took a million photos – these above are my favorites. When I finally got back home I was cold, wet, and hungry. The rest of the day was spent uploading photos and video, updating Facebook, updating the blog. Not exactly a productive day writing-wise, but I figure I’ll make up for that tomorrow. There’s been a mix of clouds, sun and flurries today. They say we might have one more burst of snow this evening when an arctic front rolls through, and then record cold weather for a day or two. I’m assuming this will be our last snow of the winter, and if so, I’m fine with that. I finally got what I wanted from Mother Nature!

Now I’m wondering what sort of weather I should conjure up next. Maybe a thunderstorm or two? I do have a fascination with lightning…