D.O.P.-T.

This afternoon we sailed past 2" of rain since the latest round began on Thursday evening. The SF Chronicle and the National Weather Service have both been stoking panic since early in the week about a Snowmageddon in the Sierra with "life-threatening" conditions possible today; the advice NOT to travel to ski resorts late in the week had a clear sub-text, "Cut work NOW and make a dash for the mountains", but today the Chron reports on ski-lifts closed because of excess supply and white-out conditions. So I hope the ski fanatics are all safely holed up at the base of their chosen mountain, racking up bar tabs. (And that nobody gets schmeared by an avalanche, as happened last time there was a big snowfall.) Meanwhile on the west side of the Sierra crest, the Mountain Messenger (oldest continuously published weekly paper in California) is bemoaning the cowardice involved in postponing the annual Chili Fest held at the top of the Yuba Pass by the whackos who live in Downieville, Sierra City, and still smaller settlements from the Gold Rush (last year's advance notice and this year's).