Gretchen & Mel Ahrens

SNOW DAY! Mt. Hood, Most of Oregon Slammed by Huge Amounts of Snow!

We had aleady guessed, well before the school district made the official call this morning, that it would be a snow day today. We already had two feet of snow over the last couple days, but then we got 18 additional inches just over night last night, making digging out of our own driveway interesting, what alone braving the roads.

Before this storm, Mt. Hood stood at a small fraction of its "normal" snow pack for this time of year, which would not bode well for the summer water supply. Even the city of Portland got a few inches of snow (which happens generally only a couple times a year) and this morning on the banner running at the bottom of the news I counted 57 school districts closed for the day.

Then a southern air flow brought warmer air and the snow turned to rain through the valley. Here in Parkdale, 10 miles south of Hood River and at an elevation of 1,200 feet, it's a rain and snow mix, but higher, it's all snow. With up to two feet more expected.

This is our son, Ben, in our backyard, where he practically had to swim to get:

Here's our five foot fence... or what is showing of it, anyway:

Speechless Sunday - Full Moon Setting

I took this photo this last week while the moon was full. It's actually in the morning, just after I dropped one of our sons off at school, so it is just before the moon set behind the mountains. I also love the silhouette of bare branches against a dark sky just starting to brighten.

Speechless Sunday - Heavy With Snow

We finally, FINALLY have a little snow. It started snowing last night and hasn't stopped yet today. This is the ponderosa tree out our side door. Such snowstorms are not uncommon here this time of year, but this year they have been few and far between. This is only the second accumulation of the year at our house in Parkdale, Oregon.

Double Header Free Throw Contest In Hood River Next Sunday

The Knights of Columbus and the Hood River Elks Club will be holding their Free Throw Contest Next Sunday, January 22nd at Wy-East Middle School, 1 to 4 p.m. Area youth, ages 8 to 14 are eligible to participate.

There will also be a 3 on 3 basketball tournament the same time and day. Competition will be in four divisions, boys and girls, ages 8 to 11 and 12 to 14. The fee to enter is $5 and pre-registration is required. Call Frank Wall at 541-354-1505 by Saturday the 21st to register.

This Poor Guy's Ready To Turn His Life Around... Meet Fuji

Oh, if only we didn't already have four dogs ourselves... I'm a sucker for a guy who REALLY needs someone. Poor Fuji has had a tough first part of his life and is ready for a loving, caring family of his own. He has spent his entire life living outside with hardly any positive attention from his people. He has scars on his muzzle where his mouth was tied shut, along with a few other scars he didn't deserve. He is underweight and is hard of hearing, due to untreated ear infections.

Strangely enough, Fuji made it through all this with a positive attitude. He is really nice, calm and eagerly tries new things, which is amazing. Before coming to the shelter he had never even walked on floors before. Now he is just sucking up attention from the shelter volunteers and reveling in a warm place to sleep and plenty of food. Fuji is an older guy and is a chow chow. He is fine with other dogs, has been neutered, is current on his shots and is microchipped.

The fee to adopt this dog is $100, cash or check only, please. The adoption fee is charged to help recover standard average veterinary expenditures for each dog. You can meet Fuji in Odell at the Hukari Animal Shelter 3910 Heron Dr, Hood River OR 97031. Call the shelter for more information 541-354-1083. Adoption hours are Wed 5-7 & Sat 9-11. You can download an application at: www.hoodriveradoptadog.org. You can fax your application to 1-877-833-7166.