Tag: Freezing weather in Portland

Freezing, Frozen, and Friendly

Dear Liza,

Our city of Portland, Oregon is just not prepared for all this cold! We usually get a few inches of snow, then it warms up, melts away, and we are back to mud.

But not this week. We started with sleety rain, then snow, then more snow, then more sleet… and it just never melted. We are in our seventh day of below freezing temperatures and nasty ice. The walkway between our buildings was getting really dangerous.

So Thursday, Auntie Bridgett and Stacy across the way got themselves bundled up and went out and did something about it! Using snow shovels, regular shovels and even a small sledge hammer, they busted up the ice and shoveled a path most of the way around the building! Lisa, our manager, came out to check on them.

They were out in the freezing cold for more than an hour. I knew I would not be very useful out there, so I made them big cups of hot cocoa to restore their will to live (and finish shoveling). They got a lot done, and then some other neighbors came out to finish the job.

I was totally impressed.

And that afternoon, Grandpa Nelson seemed inspired by their efforts and went for his first outside walk since December 23rd! He used his good sturdy cane and I used the stick Great-grandpa Lowell got in Alaska years ago. We only went a quarter of a block, but it was wonderful to see him up and about.

We are predicted to have a “slow thaw” starting midday today. I’ll believe that when I see it!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Sunny Pictures and a Nice Story… From a Near-Disaster

Dear Liza,

We had some excitement the other day. In the midst of our coldest weather, a neighbor’s pipes broke, flooding his unit. Things could have been a whole lot worse!

David just sold his condo, and was packing up to head to his new home. But the storms made the roads to the coast impassible, so he stayed in Portland for the day, waiting for the roads to be cleared. While he was waiting, the pipe burst.

If he had been out of town, his newly-sold condo would have been flooded, unheated, and his first floor frozen into a skating rink.

As it was, the burst pipe drained the fire extinguisher system, setting off everyone’s fire alarms! We all rushed out to see what was the problem, and began bringing dozens of towels to sop up the mess. It was a real neighbor-helping-neighbor day.

Our dryers were full and our hands were cold, but all will be well. I only hope David’s carpet dries soon.

PS As you can tell, these pictures are not of the clean up. I was much too busy!

Love,

Grandma Judy