Slush in the Valley

We rarely get snow here in the mid valley region of Oregon. So when we do, even if it's a tiny amount and doesn't stay long, we go nuts!

We usually get a lot of snow in the coast range, to the west, and the Cascade Mountains, to the east. But this year, we've had very little even there, causing concern for summer water supply, which is fed by mountain snow run off. The mountains are finally getting some snow. All the skiers and snowboarders have grins plastered on their faces, as they are interviewed up at Mt. Hood or other ski resorts, with snow falling. Snow is good for mountain business in Oregon and general happiness.

I got up early, to set traps at Spicer Origins colony. I had caught the second cat there last night, rather quickly. However, once up, coffee in hand, I was ooohhed and awed by the huge fluffy white flakes falling. I finally got in gear and drove over to set another trap. I drove through slush at first piling up before the cars out, people on their way to work or school, would drive through it turning the track lines gray, where the black asphalt showed through a thin coating of slush remaining. The roads were not icey or slick. The snow now is slushy wet and melting.

There's a big storm supposedly moving up from the south with lots of moisture. The storm that carried in the cold weather and snow came down from Alaska. When these two fronts meet, we could have a huge rain and wind event while lots of snow is the predicted result farther north. Winds up to 90 mph are predicted for Oregon's coast.









Siamese mix young cat I caught last night at Spicer Origins. Looks male to me.
I have since caught two more. The littlest one, Fizz, looks very much like the teens I caught around the corner, for the old man, same age. Two of those were black and white. Fizz, black tux kitten from Spicer Origins, trapped today.
Blotty, black and white young cat I trapped this morning. I now have three young cats from Spicer Origins in my garage waiting to be fixed. They are all six months or under. I have no idea how many more there are there to catch, besides the big male, there infrequently. I will just keep trapping and see who I get. Unfortunately, these Spicer Origin cats do not live long as they keep crossing a very busy road and getting hit.

By contrast, below are the two black and white teens I caught and got fixed from around the corner. The one with the white stripe down her nose is the little girl.
Female teen black tux kitten from Spicer Proper, around the corner from Spicer Origins, where the above cats including Fizz, their lookalike, were trapped.
Male black tux teen from Spicer Proper, fixed last week.