You know what else makes it hard to walk? The fact that people have walked on unshoveled sidewalks which have now frozen, melted a bit and refrozen and are a slippery mess. What would their sidewalks look like right now if they had shoveled soon after the snow had fallen? Glad you asked.
They would be a wet, but not icy or snowy, easily traveled surface.
Please Portlanders with sidewalks, I know snow doesn't happen often. But when it does, please, please, please shovel your walks.
Sentinel spent most of the day in the bedroom on the bed, with a few visits to the kitchen. Squeak eventually got bored of that, and came out to explore. He's a very busy kitty.
Here he attempts to sit on the non-ledge where the two windows meet. He failed and fell back on the couch. Unhurt, he sprang up to find another place to watch what was going on outside.
Chris shoveled off the deck so his dog Atlas wouldn't have to sit in the snow. What did Atlas do? He sat in the snow, ignoring the nicely shoveled patch in front of him.
There are a lot of black animals in our family now.
It was a merry food year!
My Aunt Pat gave me the best gift. At Thanksgiving, I remarked that her pie crust was so good she could just make a pie crust and fill it with whipped cream and I would be happy. So I got an empty pie crust for Christmas! And those yummy pie crust cookies, and nuts and homemade quince and blackberry jelly.
Other great gifts. A free window washing from my brother, an Oak Sandwich Board from my Aunt Carol. She couldn't get them finished because of our weather. My mom gave us each a bucket with a few of Cindy McCain's Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies and Michelle Obama's Shortbread cookies. After we taste tested, not knowing which cookie belonged to which candidate, we voted. I found that I really liked the Oatmeal Butterscotch despite my usual mediocre feelings about butterscotch and my Democratic Constitution. Also Santa came! He left cold, hard cash. I baked two kinds of muffins: Bran and Vegetable Medley and everyone also go a jar of sauerkraut (surprise!) except my mother who got sour beets, due to her dislike of cabbage.
Sentinel got presents too.
Here my Aunt Carol examines her big gift: A Kitchen Aid Food processor with three different sized bowls and other accouterments.
Mom pauses while cleaning up.
And then shows off her big gift: a new floor for her bedroom.
I got a new bicycle, but because of the weather it spent Christmas (and several days following Christmas) at the bike shop. My mother cleverly substituted these Bicycle Playing Cards.
Chris got a saw. We discussed how handy it would be to have had it while doing various projects.
Aunt Pat bought a battery for some yard device and also will get other yard tools.
After opening presents we did paint-by-number paintings, sat around, napped and eventually played bingo. It was a lovely Christmas.
Here is our backyard transformed into a winter wonderland. 
It was a white and drifting snow as you can see by the snow on the back porch and even above the shed door.
Our porch light was not immune.
I set out for the grocery store and found that the coffee shop not only was closed, they had posted a notice on their door.
They know their limits. At least they shoveled.
Despite a coating of ice, this truck made it to Fred Meyer.
Trees were covered.
The Max line wasn't running due to a problem with the switches.
Matt and I walked to Pizza Fino to have dessert and found fun examples of ice. 
Covering the Kenton neighborhood rose garden.
And these impressive icicles on Leo's house.
Deep snow with a layer of ice over it isn't the easiest thing to walk on, but it was doable. I may buy some crampons though, so I am ready for the next storm.
I also like these little pipe cleaner ornaments that are wrapped around the branches, rather than being hung from them.
Aunt Carol chooses one of the antique ornaments.
Mom holds up a glass raindrop.
Aunt Pat has both an antique glass bird and a glass candy cane.
It was still snowing when we were done. We ate soup and then Mom and Aunt Carol drove me to a bus stop where the bus transported me downtown.
I decided to see if the library was open so I could pick up my things on hold. It wasn't but in the meantime, I saw a portable snowman.
And walked through the sculpture garden outside the Art Museum.
It was still snowing as I took the Max home.
And it snowed all day and into the night.
And so I give to you, the glory that is the marshmallow-themed nativity scene as assembled by me on a snowy night:
Aside from hilarity the concept of fake-edible-themed-sacred-objects brings me, I love that when I glued Joseph's beard on, it intercepted his smiley mouth in a weird way making him look entirely horrified to be standing before you on, yes, a foam chocolate bar and graham cracker.
My mom made this advent calendar from a kit in 1978, she thinks. She's guessing 1978 because by that time we were attending Southminster Presbyterian Church and she thinks the whole "going to church" thing would have inspired her to make an advent calendar.
Each day on the calendar has an ornament. The first was always either the angel or the star, depending on who was picking first that year, and their preference.
The 24th was always the Santa Claus, and a very exciting ornament it was. It was considered an honor to draw the ornament on the 24th.
In between those monumental ornaments were other ornaments, each one with a different shape. Chris and I traded days choosing the ornament and, due to the sibling rivalry that was present the majority of our childhood, each year we traded off who got to go first. That way, it was fair. "Fair" and "Not Fair" were the two main arguments of my childhood. Now that we are grown and my brother has lost interest, I get to draw an ornament every day and put it wherever I want. It's not quite as fun.
Looking at the advent calendar from an adult perspective, it is an impressive specimen. Each ornament is different and each one has varying levels of beading. I'm happy that it is hanging in my home now.
