Western Washington's Weather Wimps

` What's hard not to notice about Washingtonians is how strangely they react to their amazingly mild weather.
` Par exampli:
` In the winter, Washington's schools get closed over a mere one inch of snow!
` In Ohio, it is required for a blizzard to leave around two or three feet until any school declares a snow day!

` Two more observations that greatly amuse me about winter here are; a), about every other person owns an all-wheel-drive vehicle, and b), how many Subarus and SUVs you find abandoned on I-5 when there isn't any snow sticking to the pavement - or even in the air!
` For contrast, I-71 (Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinatti) is always crammed with traffic, even when it means sluicing through a five-inch-thick layer of dirty slush!

` So, what brought that up? Well, I was similarly amused just a bit ago when one of our biannual bolts of lightning shot out of the sky and this girl on the sidewalk screamed and shouted; "Oh my God, it was less than a mile away!"
` If someone actually screams at lightning like that, this is a good indicator that they've never had any experience with it. (Either that, or a very personal experience!)
` And, if you've lived in Ohio, this is a good indicator that you have much experience with severe weather, such as real thunderstorms with lots of lightning - right over your house!
` In fact, you may actually need a lightning rod because the tropical storms that pass time blowing trees in half can often be found congregating directly over your house. In the summer and fall, you can expect your entire dwelling to be literally rocked by electricity several times per storm!

` Really, I don't see how so many Washingtonians can get freaked out over piddly little things like that, considering that this is about the only tectonic plate subduction zone in the world that hasn't had 'the big one' yet...
` Eek.
` This is why, unlike the general population, I am much more concerned about disasters that might come from below rather than from above.

` Anyway, I really need to get going, but I thought some of you might find my lighthearted criticism to be amusing.