Thursday Snow!

Yes, three inches of snow and 1/10 of an inch of ice shut down the Greater Portland Area.

I rose and looked outside at about 7 and soon had a rescheduling for Jeff, my fix-it guy who had remodeled the bathrooms and other upgrades at the house. He lives in the foothills of the Coastal Mountains, and the trip up and down was not to be trusted. Schools, governments, Nike WHQ (I still get the emails), and others were closed. We had 1 inch of snow, growing to about 2 (and another inch early Friday morning).

I rose and started the blog but forgot about it and lost all my focus. With the weather, I needed plans for Deborah, and I went to Safeway to get items before the general panic started or the weather went bad (sometimes the forecast is too optimistic; in the Pacific Northwest, you have to be ready). I got some food, flowers, and items I knew I needed. I unloaded those and sprinkled de-icer on the walkways and driveway.

One more load of laundry and dishes filled part of the morning. Cedar Hills McMenamins called asking if the church meeting was still on, and sadly, no, Dondrea and I had talked, and it was revised to a Zoom meeting for the weather. At a higher altitude than me, Scott decided it was best for him to enjoy the fire at home. I decided to try out Air VW the Gray in the snow and enjoyed a mostly easy trip. At TV Highway and 209th, the left turn signal is connected to a magnetic switch that detects a car in the lane. With the snow, we were not in the proper place (white lines with white snow is not a good combination), so we (I was not alone in the lane) turned safely to a red light turning signal.

On Thursday, Bob, often our waiter, had two customers for Lunch. The EV was the only vehicle in the parking lot when I arrived. We were both sitting near the wood fire. I had a bowl of their chili, a side of fries, and their Hammerhead beer. A few more folks appeared, and soon, all the seats near the fire were taken. We made a toast to the brave and enjoyed our lunch.

With the EV handling perfectly with anti-lock brakes, all-wheel-drive, and fine all-weather tires, I headed out across Beaverton. I headed into Hillsboro and the Target there. I parked and watched a late-model Jeep brand do ‘donuts’ in the snow. I waved and tipped my hat to them. They smiled and waved. I suspect they have waited all year to do that! Excellent!

I found what I needed, a few items for Deborah, and walked with care to Air VW the Gray. I got the EV home without much slipping or risk from other drivers. More folks were on the roads than I expected, but they tended toward the large pickup trucks and older model cars.

I talked to Deborah, who was thrilled to have a snow day before her travel day. Mom Wild had an off day, and I spoke to her four times. I realized I never finished the blog; finally, I got that written and published!

I promised myself I would sharpen the knives once I had the house better. I got out the knife sharpener and undulled my best knives. While not perfectly sharp, they were better when I was done. I recommend Global Knives (I love the incorporated handles).

I cleaned up the kitchen after making a ham and cheese omelet. I nearly burned the ham. I bought a spiral-cut ham that I will need to freeze at some point, but they are good in the frig for a while. I added no salt, but still, the omelet was good, but a three-egg omelet was too much food for me.

I watched more of season two of Babalon 5 and still find it a mixed bag. There is some terrible writing, but it is often funny. I remember season three being scary and dark; I was nearing the end of season two.

Next was the Zoom meeting. About eight folks for our Theology Pub meeting are now returning to our Zoom COVID-19 configuration due to the weather, including one person in Utah. Today’s topic was the loss of social capital in American life and the subsequent growth in loneliness. We agreed that the rise of social media, corporate marketing (i.e., ordering frozen veggies online, having the product delivered with no contact, and watching a video on cooking instead of going to a local market and getting fresh and meeting people and sharing recipes), and changes in how we live (more separate in our homes) contributed to the loss of social capital. Folks were being sold more media choices without increasing communication or interaction between people. A text message, while communication, is not social interaction, we claimed. We also agreed that there are many options available. However, the American distrust of institutions (Watergate, political tensions, level of activities to raise a family, education, and so on) makes joining suspect and the institutional resistance to new ideas and giving over authority to new people (a natural response) often causes folks to abandon organizations in a year or less.

We thought we should direct some words and maybe programs to welcome lonely people to the church. Perhaps some care facilities could send folks who wanted to join us. Bob mentioned that we should also remember to suggest other service organizations. We don’t see this as caused by folks refusing to be involved but as a pressure of American life to be isolated, something to be resisted.

After the meeting ended, I rested, did the dishes, and got the kitchen back in order. Then, growling, I noticed that my dusting needed to be repeated. F**k. But I went to bed after a shower and read more Canadian crime with many laughs as I started the next book. I slept soon after more Advil to get the coughing under control. I think it is helping with the inflammation from coughing and the cold.

I set the alarm to 3:45 to live some East Coast Time and contact Deborah as she heads out.

Thanks for reading!