Both sons of my neighbor came over to apologize for the actions of their friend, “Mr. Chainsaw”. They assured me that they had not given him permission to cut the wood on my property, and they were angry that he had lied and reflected poorly on them.

One son called Mr. Chainsaw over to my house. He stood at my front door and apologized. He also agreed to come do storm damage cleanup and hauling for a couple of days, under my supervision and with one of the neighbors, to make amends and as compensation for the loss in value of the cypress he had cut up. In addition, he returned the two huge rounds of wood that he had cut off the 6 foot log.

Here’s her original Letter, first posted on Jan. 22:

The fee quoted by the arborist to remove the tree was enough to make anyone’s jaw drop onto the snowy ground. But it was mid-afternoon and getting dark. I had a tree on my roof and needed to get it off. And I was still on stun.

“Fine. Get the tree off the roof.” And that’s all he did for the price, taking full advantage of a bad situation. Removal and cleanup would have been an added fee. The urgency of my situation formed dollar signs in the eyes of the arborist.

The second tree, at the road, was brought down at no charge by Seattle City Light because of the danger it posed to the neighborhood’s lines. The crew was courteous and generous, welcome attitudes after the arborist’s pushy greed the day before. The 100 ft. trunk was cut into manageable pieces and dropped into a pile on the side of my property. The base of the trunk was left at a 6 ft. length, and lay in my lower parking area. I figured that all of this could be dealt with in a day or two, after the snow and ice melted.

The next afternoon, I was talking to a local artist that offered to buy that 6 ft. length of cypress for a commercial project she was working on. We measured it, and brainstormed about potential ways to integrate the wood into her project. She’d come by in a day or two, with a truck and some help, to pick up the heavy piece of wood.

An hour later, now dark, I heard a chainsaw droning on and on. I thought, “who in the world is using a chainsaw this late?” Then I realized the sound seemed to be coming from where the cypress log lay.

I flew out the door and to the road and won’t repeat the expletives that came out of my mouth. The cypress trunk was now only 4 feet long. Mr. Chainsaw was standing on my property, under the street lamp, making firewood out of my wood that had been destined for an art piece. Technically, doesn’t this amount to trespassing and attempted theft?

Mr. Chainsaw said that my neighbors across the street had told him he could cut and take it. Really? Couldn’t he (shouldn’t he) have come knocking on my door to ask politely, “Excuse me, but will you be using the wood from your tree that came down? May I cut it and take it?”

And, what were my neighbors thinking in granting permission that they had no right to grant?

We have all heard reports of post-disaster looting and artificially-high rates for repair and cleanup. It seems to me that after we’ve all endured snow, ice, power outages, downed trees, property damage, loss of work, etc., we should more readily offer generosity, respect… and lawfulness. An urgent situation does not grant license to forego courtesy and propriety! We will not be united through greed and opportunism.

My experience due to the downing of my trees gave me a glimpse into a “darkside” viewpoint. Fortunately, that glimpse was contrasted by the many offers of help, and by a plate of fresh-baked cookies brought over by my elder neighbors, an enduring sweet spot in the middle of a sour-tasting time.

– Maureen Hoffmann

[Have something you'd like to share with our 50,000+ Readers? Please send us your Letter to the Editor via email. Include your full name, and, pending our review, we'll most likely publish it.]

The second semester will begin on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Teachers will have until Monday, Jan. 30 to turn in grades. Report cards will be mailed shortly after that.

“To reduce the number of school days that need to be made up later, there will be no day off for secondary schools between semesters,” their website adds.

Be sure to try and view the video full screen; here are some things to look for:

• Around the :16-second mark note how some enterprising, hardy neighbors put two bar stools out to sit and enjoy the weather!
• Around :38, the road either gets plowed, or perhaps shoveled…?
• Around :48, there’s proof that the storm didn’t stop the Postal Carrier.
• Toward the end someone left a plant watering can out.
• What else do you see? Please leave a Comment below!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Burien Parks sent out the following Tweet Friday morning, Jan. 20, which included the photo above of a downed tree blocking the road to Seahurst Park:

Seahurst Park in #Burien is closed to the public today due to road conditions and downed trees.

Icicles on a 737 on Jan. 19, 2012 courtesy Alaska Airlines.

Whew…after more than 14 hours without power due to the unexpected ice storm, the B-Town Blog Home HQ got its electricity restored, and after dusting ourselves off, cleaning up the mess known as “keep the kids warm all night with just a fireplace in an old, drafty house,” we’re finally doing our best to catch up. Here’s the latest weather-related news:

• Power was restored to parts of Burien Thursday night, just before midnight. However, with the large amount of ice still coating trees and power lines, we suggest you stay prepared – see our list of suggestions below.
• Highline Public Schools (and most others) are closed today (including West Seattle Montessori School and West Seattle Academy).
• The National Weather Service says warmer temps are expected today. We remain skeptical as we were TOTALLY SURPRISED BY AN ICE STORM. Luckily, we still have a little pile of firewood left.
• Flooding may be an issue over the next few days as the snow and ice melt. Clear your storm drains!
• A fallen tree on Maplewild Ave SW (BTW, this was blocking the road to our Home HQ) has been removed and the road has been reopened. However numerous power outages remain in the Burien area. People who see a downed power line should stay clear and call 911.
• Burien City Hall and Community Center will open at 10 a.m. today (Friday) due to the inclement weather and hazardous driving conditions.  All Recreation Dept. classes and programs are canceled for the day.
• Waste Management has not been able to service all Burien customers this week due to the snow. Missed customers can place out twice their regular amount their next collection day at no additional charge.
• In Normandy Park, Allied Waste residential collection of recycle, yard waste and garbage is suspended today due to inclement weather; critical commercial accounts will be serviced on a limited basis. Residents who are missed due to inclement weather, whose normal collection day is Friday (today) may put up to double the load out on their next regularly scheduled collection day.
• The Port of Seattle says that all runways are open at Sea-Tac Airport today. No operational impacts are expected with airfield conditions however flight cancellations have occurred. Check with your airline for the status of your specific flight.
• Alaska Airlines reports “Due to fluctuating weather conditions and forecasts of freezing rain, Alaska Airlines is proactively canceling 50 flights and plans to operate 60 percent of its daily 120 departures Friday, Jan. 20. Details regarding Horizon Air’s operation will be provided tomorrow. Customers traveling on flights into and out of Seattle tomorrow are STRONGLY urged to check www.alaskaair.com before leaving for the airport.”

Here’s the latest ‘Winter Weather Message‘ from the Weather Wonks:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA
402 AM PST FRI JAN 20 2012

.WARMER AIR WILL GRADUALLY MOVE NORTH THROUGH WESTERN WASHINGTON THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS WITH TEMPERATURES MODERATING AND PRECIPITATION CHANGING OVER TO ALL RAIN FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH DURING THE DAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING TONIGHT.

ANOTHER STRONG…WET SYSTEM WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY.

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…OLYMPIA…TACOMA… BREMERTON AND BELLEVUE.

* TIMING….SNOW OR LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE ENDING THIS MORNING.

* ACCUMULATIONS…NO ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION. POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATION OF 0.10 INCHES OR LESS.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXPECT WINTER WEATHER DRIVING CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS ISSUED FOR A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS SUCH AS FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW OCCURRING AT THE SAME TIME. WHILE THE WEATHER WILL BE SIGNIFICANT…THE WORD ADVISORY MEANS THAT LIFE THREATENING WINTER WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

Here are some suggestions for staying warm in a power outage:

• FROM SEATTLE CITY LIGHT:
• If you experience a power outage, report it to Seattle City Light at (206) 684-3000.
• Keep doors closed and block drafts to keep the heat you already have inside your home.
• Dress in warm layers of clothing to keep yourself warm.
• Keep barbecue grills and electric generators outside. Bringing them indoors can quickly cause fatal buildups of carbon monoxide.
• Updates on outages are available online at www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat and on mobile devices at http://m.seattle.gov/light
• EDITOR’S PERSONAL TIPS:
• Bundle up – find that long-lost long underwear and ugly sweater. Layer t-shirts underneath until you can’t move your arms.
• Don’t go out and play in the snow if you have no power – you’ll end up getting all wet with no way to get sufficiently dry. Seriously!
• Stay together with your family and friends and pull out an old board game. BTB Editor Scott Schaefer played an epic, marathon bout of ‘Monopoly’ in front of the fire with his family for most of Thursday, and time seemingly flew by (BTW, the game was determined to be a 4-way draw after 6-7 hours!).
• Make sure you have plenty of firewood ready to burn. If not, find some downed branches and break them into small pieces, then pray to the steaming, hissing wooden moisture gods that they’ll actually burn. Or find bits of your old Christmas tree. Or go knock on the door of your neighbor’s house – you know, the only one in the neighborhood with the lights still on, and the humming of a generator in the back?

Here’s the latest weather forecast:

Today: Occasional snow and freezing drizzle before 10am, then rain. Snow level 200 feet rising to 3700 feet. High near 40. North wind at 11 mph becoming west southwest. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight: Rain. Low around 40. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Showers likely, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 22 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Southwest wind around 14 mph.

Sunday: Rain. High near 44. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Rain. Low around 38. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Tuesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Wednesday: Rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51.

Wednesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Thursday: Showers. Cloudy, with a high near 48.

Two bald eagles at Three Tree Point during Wednesday's snowstorm. Blood from a recent kills is on the bulkhead next to the eagle on the right. Click image to see larger version. Photo by Ursula Haigh.

Despite all the media weather overhype and abuse of yellow parkas, the first snowstorm of 2012 didn’t disappoint us, as we enjoyed a true snow day with our kids in conditions perfect for building snowmen, playing and throwing snowballs.

At the Blog’s Home Headquarters in Three Tree Point, we received between 4-5″ of the white stuff and had a great time.

And of course we took photos on this historic day, as did many of our Readers; if you’ve got some good snow pics you think we should share, please email them to us: editor@b-townblog.com and we’ll do our best to post them.

In the meantime, here’s the best of what we’ve received so far (click images to see larger versions and start slideshow):

It’s likely that local private schools will follow suit, so be sure to check with them to see if Thursday will be another snow day.

The National Weather Service says that there is a chance of a bit more snow tonight, but that it should turn to rain Thursday and Friday, with another storm moving in that will dump a lot more rain on us, causing concern for flooding in local rivers.

We suggest to our Readers that now would be a good time to clear around your local storm drains as the snow melts and the rains come.

Here’s the most recent weather advisory, issued at 3:57 p.m.:

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 357 PM PST WED JAN 18 2012

…CORRECTED TO ADD SPECIFIC MENTION OF RIVERS…

…FLOOD POTENTIAL THIS WEEKEND FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON…

A WET AND ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS IN PLACE FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON FOR THE NEXT WEEK. AS WE WIND UP THIS SNOW STORM…WE WILL BE EVALUATING THE AMOUNT OF WATER EQUIVALENT THAT IS LYING ON THE GROUND WAITING TO MELT AND RUNOFF IN TO AREA RIVERS.

MEANWHILE…A PACIFIC STORM IS HEADING FOR WESTERN WASHINGTON FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY THAT WILL BRING RAIN OF ONE HALF TO TWO AND ONE HALF INCHES BELOW 4000-5000 FEET ELEVATION. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE MID FORTIES AND TOGETHER WITH THE WIND AND RAIN…WILL MELT THE LOWLAND SNOW. THIS AMOUNT OF RUNOFF COULD DRIVE RIVERS IN LOW ELEVATION BASINS ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. THIS INCLUDES THE CHEHALIS AND SKOKOMISH RIVERS. ANY FLOODING THAT DOES OCCUR IS EXPECTED TO BE MINOR. IN ADDITION…THIS COULD PRODUCE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM
PONDING OR FLOODING FROM SNOW AND ICE CLOGGED DRAINS AND CULVERTS JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE IN THE LOWLANDS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON.

THIS WILL BE A TRICKY SITUATION TO FORECAST AND UNCERTAINTY THAT THERE WILL OR WILL NOT BE FLOODING IS QUITE HIGH. RAINFALL INTENSITIES AND THE AMOUNT AND RATE OF LOWLAND SNOW MELT WILL DETERMINE HOW HIGH THE RIVERS RISE. THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN HOW MUCH SNOW WATER THERE IS AND HOW FAST THAT SNOW WILL MELT.

RIVER MODELS DO NOT ALWAYS HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS VERY WELL SO SPECIFIC RIVER FORECASTS MAY NOT FULLY INDICATE THE EXISTING FLOOD RISK.

BEYOND THIS WEEKEND…WE WILL CONTINUE TO GET STORMS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD RISES ON AREA RIVERS INTO NEXT WEEK FOR ADDITIONAL PERIODS WHEN THERE MAY BE THE RISK OF FLOODING.

STAY TUNE TO THE LATEST WEATHER AND RIVER FORECASTS AND BULLETINS.

Here’s the latest 7-day :

Tonight: A chance of snow before 10pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Snow level 200 feet. Cloudy, with a low around 30. North northeast wind between 5 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday: A chance of rain and snow. Snow level 100 feet. Cloudy, with a high near 37. North northeast wind between 7 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Snow level 200 feet. Cloudy, with a steady temperature around 34. North northeast wind between 7 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Friday: Rain. High near 44. South southeast wind between 5 and 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 40. South southeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Rain. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday Night: Rain. Low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Sunday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43.

Monday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Tuesday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Wednesday: Rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.

The City of Burien reports that City Hall and the Community Center will open at 10 a.m. today.

All classes at the Community Center and Moshier Art Center are canceled for the day.

Normandy Park City Hall is closed today, and Allied Waste will not be operating as well.

Weather wonks are saying we’ll get between 4 to 8 inches of the white stuff today before the warm front takes over and ruins our snow party.

The National Weather Service issued the following Winter Storm Warning at 6:33 a.m. this morning (Wed., Jan. 18), in effect until 8 p.m. tonight:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA 633 AM PST WED JAN 18 2012

A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON TODAY BRINGING WIDESPREAD HEAVY SNOWFALL TO THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF WESTERN WASHINGTON.

…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM PST THIS EVENING…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…EVERETT… BREMERTON… SHELTON…OLYMPIA… ABERDEEN…MONTESANO…ELMA.

* TIMING…THOUGH THIS EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 20 INCHES IN THE SOUTHWEST INTERIOR AND 8 TO 16 INCHES OF NEW SNOW IN THE LOWER CHEHALIS VALLEY. 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE SEATTLE AREA INCLUDING HOOD CANAL AND THE EAST PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS AND OVER THE CENTRAL COAST.

* FREEZING RAIN…FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTH SOUND THIS AFTERNOON. LOCAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO ONE-TENTH OF AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE I-5 CORRIDOR BETWEEN OLYMPIA AND CHEHALIS.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXPECT EXTREME TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES TODAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

Here’s the latest 7-day forecast:

Today: Snow. High near 32. Breezy, with a north northeast wind between 18 and 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tonight: Snow, possibly mixed with rain, mainly after 4am. Snow level 200 feet. Steady temperature around 31. North northeast wind between 9 and 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10am. Snow level 0 feet rising to 700 feet. High near 36. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 34. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Friday: Rain. High near 46. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday: Rain. High near 46. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Saturday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Sunday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43.

Monday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 47.

Also, if you happen to take any really cool snow pics, please email us and we’ll do our best to post them: editor@b-townblog.com.

Call Mr. Plow,
That’s my name,
That name again
Is Mr. Plow.

Boom-chi-cha-boom-chi-cha-boom-chi-boom
I’m Mr. Plow, and I’m here to say,
I’m the plowin’est guy in the USA.
I got a big plow and I’ll move a lot of things,
Like your cow if you have one…

Senor Plow no es macho,
Es solamente un borracho…

Every city needs its own ‘Mr. Plow’ (or 3), and the City of Burien is no exception.

Cityfolk have released an updated Snow Removal Route Map, and states on its website that:

“Road Crews are working 24-hour shifts and have extra sand stockpiled to keep roads clear and drivable during the snowstorms hitting our area. Primary arterials are plowed and sanded first, then secondary streets.”

We’re huge fans of “Mr. Plow” so we hope we see him out and about Wednesday morning during the potentially-snowy commute (even if he’s been working for 24 hours straight…).

Here’s the Snow Route Mr. Plow’s map (click image to see larger version, or download a PDF here):

So…have YOU seen an efficient response from the city’s road crews Mr. Plow? Please leave a Comment below…

Noted UW Meteorologist Cliff Mass says we need to “scale back” the prediction on his blog, from a frightening “up to 14 inches” down to “2-5 inches”:

Folks this is a very difficult forecast.  Everything depends on getting the track of the low exactly right…first to decide where the rain/snow changeover will be and secondly to get the amount of precipitation right.

The most recent warning, updated at 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, says:

…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT PST WEDNESDAY NIGHT…

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS…SEATTLE…TACOMA…BREMERTON… SHELTON.

* TIMING…TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS…ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE TODAY IN SHOWERS. SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH ANOTHER 5 TO 10 INCHES OF NEW SNOW POSSIBLE BY WEDNESDAY EVENING.

* MAIN IMPACT…EXPECT EXTREME TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES TO DEVELOP ON WEDNESDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL IN THE AREA…CARRY AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT… FOOD…WATER…AND BLANKETS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

And the most recent forecast, issued at 10:39 a.m., says:

This Afternoon: Showers. High near 35. West southwest wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Tonight: Rain before 10pm, then snow. Low around 29. Northeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 32. North northeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.

Wednesday Night: Snow before 4am, then rain and snow. Low around 32. North northeast wind between 8 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Thursday: Rain and snow, becoming all rain after 10am. Snow level 100 feet rising to 1600 feet. High near 38. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday Night: Rain. Low around 33. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday: Rain. High near 44. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Friday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 44.

Saturday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Sunday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 42.

Sunday Night: Rain. Cloudy, with a low around 38.

Monday: Rain. Cloudy, with a high near 45.