I think the post office’s motto says something about “nor rain, nor sleet, nor snow” will keep them from making deliveries. As I was parking my car at the bottom of our hill on Thursday night, I was running this through my head. The forecast was for one to four inches of snow overnight on Thursday, and as anyone who has been in the Seattle area in the snow knows, even a single inch will shut the city down.
So we parked the car with all-wheel drive at the bottom of the hill and the next morning (at my husband’s suggestion) I got up and grabbed my 8-month-old son, put him in an Ergo, laced up my fuzziest boots, and we went on our way.
It was probably about a 10-minute walk to where we parked the car. Most of it unlit, but there was a streetlamp near where the car was parked. I wasn’t really green. The lighting was just a little crazy that early in the morning with all the snow. Baby boy is in his “Omniheat” snowsuit. It was the cheapest one we could find, and keeps him absolutely toasty warm. Definitely glad we had it on this particular morning.
As soon as I scraped all of the snow off the car (I am not used to this so turned my windshield wipers on to clear the stuff I couldn’t reach with my door still open…) we were on our way. I tested the brakes so I’d have some idea what I would be dealing with on my way to the studio. The car stopped, it just took a little longer. I breathed a sigh of relief – yes, you know you’re from Seattle when you are 1) terrified of driving in less than an inch of snow, and 2) not sure what happens when you hit the brakes in less than an inch of snow.
The roads really weren’t that bad. Most of them were wet, some were slightly slushy, everyone was driving like they were in a blizzard. That’s Seattle for you. And, of course, as reward for all this stressful driving, a mocha. Of course, my husband calls thirty seconds before I order to make sure I am okay, and alive, and then just laughs when he hears my order. “Of course!” is all he says.
Just a few minutes later we made it to the studio. My sweet studio looks even more beautifully turquoise blue in the morning light, with the Christmas Wreath and my barn stars (I painted them bright pink and hung them on the studio when we moved house this summer). The studio is cute generally, but even more so in the snow. The warm light inside was a welcoming sight. As was the heat.
We worked until almost 7pm on Friday night. My assistant, Caitlin, and I are both still exhausted. Between Halloween and yesterday we had over 450 retail orders, plus a fair number of wholesale pieces to make as well. Our stitcher, Anna, was a great deal of help this week, too. Her little girl, Saya, played with my little boy while Anna helped us pack and ship literally hundreds of pieces this past week. My baby has been taking crawling notes from Saya and I think he’ll be soon to move, though I am not sure what I will do when that happens.
It has been an amazing season and I am so thankful for my two assistants. I’m looking forward to a year full of new ventures – maybe I’ll write a book? Oh yeah, I think I will do that – and new adventures. Caitlin and I head to Philadelphia in January for the Buyer’s Market of American Craft, and then my husband and kiddos will go to Baltimore for the American Craft Council show in February. This will be our first time traveling for shows, so wish us luck!
Before all this happens, though, I am looking forward to spending a few days with my family. When my daughter asks “are you going away today?” I am glad I can say “no!” for now, and enjoy cooking breakfast for her, my husband, and the baby boy.
Happy holidays all, thank you for your support this year and for the last nine. It means the world to me.
xo
c
