Friday
The freezing rain started thursday night and continued into friday evening
I took some macro pictures and scraped the layer of ice off of my car so I could make a quick run to the pharmacy
We lost power at 530pm on Friday night, just as dinner was being prepared
We ate cold left overs instead
The power company fixed some of the power and said our apartment would be fixed the next day
We read books and tried to play guitar by candlelight
Saturday
A heavy ice storm hit saturday morning damaging many trees, power lines, buildings, cars, and more
The world looked like an ice sculpture
I resisted the urge to take photos and helped to clear branches and a tree from the road instead
Glad we always have at least one hand saw around
We collected ice that fell from the trees and bagged it to keep the fridge and freezer cold
We also drove a short loop to see damage and charge phones
Dinner was cold leftovers again
Vegetarian sloppy joes are pretty good cold
We read books and I played solitaire by candlelight and flashlight
Outside the air was thick with haze and smoke as people with woodstoves burned wet wood
Sunday
The next day tens of thousands of people lost power, even more than saturday, as the ice melted and more trees fell
We heard transformers blow like several gunshots
It was valentine's day
We got snacks at the store, and a bottle of champagne
On the drive we saw the power company making their way down the neighborhood, block by block
Much progress was made, several street lights came online, less four way stops to worry about
We went on a walk to stay warm
The apartment temp was as cold as outside by now and we were wearing several layers of clothing
A family member with power ordered us pizza and we were extremely grateful for the hot food and good pizza
If they need help with damage repairs I hope they know we are there for them
We listened to music and drank champagne while playing rummikub
Monday
Monday morning got warmer, which was good for morale and health but bad for our food
The food started to go bad in the fridge, the freezer still had some good items and we started to eat them
My parents very kindly let us take showers at their place and lent us a cook stove
We were so grateful, hopfully we can help them with their roof damage if they need it
We shopped for a lantern or some sort of light, more food and searched for wifi, then grabbed burgers as it was getting dark
We heard power might be out for the whole week
I am grateful for water and candles as well as gas in the car and family
I hope my sister is doing okay as I just heard she lost power and water a couple days after we did
Maybe the power will be on tomorrow
Tuesday
The day was a blur
We hoped for power, but after we heard that our powerline was restored the power company marked our complex as having power
It did not have power and so a neighbor called management who thought it was only our building and we called the power company who said it was the entire complex
This prompted my parents to call the power company and they found that they were marked as having power restored when in fact the whole street was without power
We read books most of the day
Then we cooked chili by camp stove on the balcony
The temperature got colder again tonight, I could feel it
I fell asleep reading my book by lantern light
Wednesday
This morning I woke a few times to trucks and chainsaws
The tree service and landscapers came back to do more work
Brian thought he heard someone talking about power outside, asking when it will be on and they said they can't really say but could get to it today after fixing a downed powerline nearby
We went for another walk
I noticed that one of the apartments has a daily letter board with short odd messages throughout the blackout, I don't always understand them but they amuse me
I found out my sister had her power turned on earlier today and my parents power came on tonight
We went to my parents house to get warm, heat up food, go online and watch movies
Their cable is spotty but the internet works so I caught up on the week's news and emails and the warmth felt good
Hopefully the power will be on tomorrow, and hopefully management can help
We called them to tell them about the loud crack we heard when the power went out which might have been one of the power boxes on property and how long the outage has been
The street sweepers were sweeping up the road gravel at 10pm, a clean road is one step closer to normal I suppose
Thursday
And Ode To The Trees After A Storm
Stumpy winter tree , grown straight and tall as an overgrown coat hanger
Windswept trees reaching for the eastern sky catching precarious branches within their grasp
Trees laying down where once they stood
Fragile trees blown apart under duress
Cut up circles of trees
Sawn off branches in neat piles
Tall proud mountain trees unafraid of the weather
Come spring buds will blossom, leaves will grow, but the memory of ice will remain
Cold today again and rainy, snow-like rain that hits the car windshield like a melted flake, but no snow thank goodness
Called the management for an update, nothing new
Went for a charging drive and got warm too
Called power company to see if they had all the info about what happened just in case later on and they said nothing much new, just that we were in a hard hit area and there had been 400 calls from our complex, which makes sense
We are still the only large place without power in our immediate area as far as we can tell, with the exception of a house here and there
Got more chili and snacks at the store
We read, ate dinner, and waited for a package that never came
I was chilled during the night, probably need to move around more
Friday
Slept late, still no package which is our weekly food delivery
The bread, peanut butter, dried fruit and seeds are great to have for breakfast, sometimes I have avocado instead, but I'm out of them now
I stretched really good and got the blood flowing again, no more chill
I wonder how people stretch on a snowy mountain climb if they get chilled, in all that gear and in tiny tents?
I'm really starting to feel it today on day 7
I miss warmth and hot water
Glad I live in a temperate climate though
I think the temperature has stayed between 34 and 50, mostly in the low 40s.
We hiked the croisan scenic trail as far as we could and there were less downed trees than I imagined, except a patch of beautiful old maples or oaks which are now gone
We passed a two person crew who cleared much of the fallen limbs
Found a nearby neighborhood with no electricity, so we aren't the only ones without power back in this area
It is a neighborhood known for its tall trees and many of the oaks came down or lost limbs
Came home and read
Went to parents again to heat up soup, take showers, and do a little laundry
We got to watch some tv, which was nice
Apartment parkinglot was half empty last, so people are finding other places to sleep
Saturday
Another day
Temperature rose to about 48
Was able to get public wifi on a street corner nearby
Got our food delivery, which included as much nonpareshables as they had available
Read most of the day until there was a flash of light from the light bulbs for a second in the bedroom where we were reading by windowlight
It was 5pm, hopefully this is a good sign
For dinner we got fancy and combined chili and italian soup
As dinner was cooking outside, the electricity came back on for good
I was way too excited, but it had been 8 days with no electricity or heat, except for the car and the couple visits to family
I feel for others who are in a poorer situation, I am very aware this could have been much much worse
As of this post, there are still ~27,500 homes without power in Oregon