January is trying a little too hard to impress us
Whew, it’s been quite a year already. Our block ushered out 2023 with a literal bang: my next-door neighbor’s truck burned to an absolute crisp on New Year’s Eve. The fire inspector said someone drilled into the tank to siphon gas. I was up early to do some end-of-year noodling around in my notebook and heard a terrible boom. Ran downstairs and saw a tower of flame out the window. The 911 operator knew why I was calling even before I explained—a dog-walker saw the beginnings of the fire and called it in before I got to the door.
No humans, pets, or houses harmed, I’m relieved to say. It could have been so much worse. We all heaved a breath and said good riddance to a difficult 2023.
Two days later: our refrigerator went on strike. Well, the fridge part did: the freezer is still working. It’s fixable, but the repair guy needed to order parts. Scott hastened to the local appliance store and bought a used fridge for the garage. Which: GOOD THING. Shortly afterward, and many days before the parts arrived, Portland was hit with the first of a set of truly obnoxious storms. Last Saturday—my youngest child’s 15th birthday—we heard another huge boom and rushed in panic to the windows as the house went dark. Our across-the-street neighbor had a massive Douglas fir in the front corner of their yard—had, past tense. The windstorm knocked it onto the power lines.
This happened all over town. Dozens of mighty trees felled by wind. Doug firs have shallow root systems; they’re meant to grow in crowds, interlocking their roots to keep each other upright. Single trees, stressed by climate change, crashed by the dozens onto rooves, cars, and power lines, knocking out light and heat for tens of thousands of Portlanders. Some folks still don’t have it back.
Our block got lucky (as these things go): no damage to property or person, and a crew arrived within hours to cut down the tree and repair the lines. By bedtime, the house was warm again. We spent much of Huck’s birthday watching the show out our living room window.
A day or two later (honestly I’m starting to lose track), the ice came. The city has been at a standstill all week. Sidewalks and side streets: ice rinks. The fridge guy tried to come yesterday but called half an hour later to say the roads were impassable. I was surprised he even tried. We’ve had no mail delivery for two days. My son’s hearing aid seems to be on the fritz, but that repair person doesn’t make house calls. (And couldn’t, even if he did.)
Today the rain was rainier, not instantly ice; but I think it’s supposed to all freeze up again tonight. There are only four houses on our block (it’s the short side of the rectangle) and we’ve managed to accrue three calamities so far this month. Here’s hoping the catty-corner neighbors are hanging in there all right!
Hopefully that’s your 3! One of my friends was without power for days and decamped to a hotel with her wife and cat it got so cold. Glad yours was fixed quicker.