Item #1: Got snow?
Item#4 is also about snow.
This from Monday evening.
“Bellingham Troopers handled 40 collisions between 5pm and 8pm. Helped remove 5 trees,” Tweeted Trooper Anthony Reese. “Helped multiple stranded motorists and even drove a young lady’s car 4 miles to the next exit because she was scared to drive in the snow.”
What is not said is how many times this young lady has driven in snow. Very likely this is a single digit number. Also, an inch of snow there is more likely than 5 inches.
Actually, not a lot of snow fell in Bellingham, maybe 5 inches.
Elsewhere, wet – heavy snow fell along Hwy #2 – toward Stevens Pass. There is a report here: Trees, power lines down, travelers in a world of hurt
This is from the Wash DOT, with 4 photos.
“… with no ability to go east or west …”
There is a popular ski area at Stevens Pass, thus travelers need to be on the road when it snows. So it is not unexpected for occasional issues. This one has been serious because many were stranded as trees (and power lines) came down in multiple places. This is in an area without much development, and thus support.
And on Thursday evening:
117 inches since Jan. 1
Item #2: Who knew? 
Chicken in a liner in a crockpot.
Oven roasted short ribs are tasty, but there is a lot of waste for which you pay $3/pound or so. I looked for a recipe that promised the bar-b-que outcome when starting with boneless center-cut loin.
One recipe ended with “cook until tender” – not a clue there.
Others claim they get good results with a slow-cooker or crockpot. Okay, we’re dealing with 7 or 8 hours. Not a problem.
In reading a few of these, one person said “use a liner; you will thank me later.”
And my reaction was “What?”
But the internet is my friend, so I searched.
Here is the Amazon link: Slow Cooker Liners
I ordered a small box of 6 for 43¢ per liner. Arrived Thursday.
We’ll give this a try next week.
Item #3: Rain in Australia
Not a lot in most places, but still helpful.
Drought to rain. We’ve heard this story.
“I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.”
From “My Country” [1908], written at age 19 while homesick in England.
Item #4: not so nice
storm emergency
The Avalon Peninsula and nearby region is having a winter storm. Plows, fire trucks, ambulances, and all first responders are off the roads.
This is a storm in progress.
Item #5: web images this week 
Someone sits around and thinks of these things. Right-brain folks?
And that, for this week, is the not so nasty news.
John