After 3 weeks of vacation, I suppose I’m ready to go back to work. I’ll be sad when the snow melts because it means muddy footprints and rain. I quite liked the whole winter storm thing. All in total, got an extra 5.5 days of vacation, 5 hours without power, 15 cars helped out of the snow, and brewed 2 beers. Below are some pictures I took from my phone when Michelle and I weathered the power outage curled up on the couch with the 2 animals reading Order of the Phoenix.
What’s one more day off? Not bad. I had to drive Michelle to work this morning, which was interesting. It was sunny briefly, and I managed to get a bit done around the house. And I got some brewing ingredients, helped 4 cars that were stuck, and picked up Michelle from work. Then we shopped for some work clothes and had dinner at the Rogue Public House. The beer was amazing.
However, after 4 and a half days off, the weekend doesn’t seem all that exciting.
Yep, still at home. Some are getting cabin fever, so we tried, and ventured yonder to Tigard Cinema. Scott and I caught an early showing of Lord of the Rings. It was good, but I’m still annoyed by the crappy commercials, crappy previews, and crappy drivers in the parking lots.
On the way back, I helped a fellow in his Cadillac who obviously shouldn’t have been out driving. He was stuck trying to get up a road that even someone with chains would avoid. I pushed him back on to a major street so he could decide to try again. I’m not sure what he did though because I got in my van and drove off. I’m afraid he probably tried again to drive up the snowy street.
Barley looks quite morose; he’s been trapped inside because of the danger he’s in on the 1/2″ of ice over everything. When I let him out to poo this morning, he fell from the top step of the deck, down 3 steps into the post at the bottom of the stairs. His hip collided with the post and he stayed on the snow for a second before scrapping to get back up. My heart quit beating while he laid there, afraid he’d broken his hip. I put my shoes on and tried to punch enough holes in the ice for him to walk, but they simply caused more problems. It made the surface less predictable. He managed to relieve himself, and we went back inside. So he spent the rest of the day talking through the window at people on the street.
I thought I told you to Stay Home!
Yesterday was a lot of fun, but we were thwarted from seeing Lord of the Rings because of a natural gas leak in the projection room at the theater. Oh, and there wasn’t any heating… details.
Now if only that jerk would stop parking in front of my mailbox the postman would deliver my mail.
Message from work: “Stay home.”
Ok.
Message comes over the library intercom: “Go Home.”
It’s cold, but there still isn’t any reason not to be there.
There’s an almost interesting article in the Seattle-Times about the hidden costs of cheap DVD players. Its really nothing new, but the conclusion is pretty lousy.
“On an emotional and political level, I’m not sure where all this is headed or what consumers can do. You can’t vote with your dollars. All DVD players are now made in China, so there’s no “Made in the U.S.A.” option.
If we all stopped buying DVD players tomorrow, conditions in China would probably get worse rather than better.
Maybe, in the end, it’s enough to be aware of what’s happening behind the scenes as we enjoy this cornucopia of bargains.”
It is important to understand the background of the products you buy. I think the BSE “mad cow” thing over Christmas highlights that. Countries have stopped exporting our Beef over the issue, and we’ve made some changes in procedure. How many children need to be raped on the job before we stop importing something as unimportant as DVD players, or doggie treats, or cookie cutters? When does knowing that its happening make it O.K.?
When we arrived back in Portland on Tuesday, there were 2-3″ of snow on the ground. This morning we awoke to an accumulated 6″ on the ground with another 3″ expected to fall. The same storm is hitting most of the Northwest. Portland is grinding to a halt, as I imagine are most other cities. With any luck, I won’t have to go to work tomorrow. It should be noted however, there is no reason to believe the snowfall is the result of terrorism.
Happy New Year to all, and may it find you buried to your waste in naturally-occurring snow.
P.S. – If anyone needs a ride, I know a wicked mini-van for the job.
When we first started hearing from my parents after they moved up to Holden Village, they sounded like kids at summer camp. They were having a wonderful time, and were enthralled with the people, mountains, community, and spirituality of the place. As time passed, their jobs changed (fewer visitors in winter mean less accidents, less book sales), but they still loved it. Its coming time to decide about staying another year, and they both want to, but feel they’re needed back in the real world.
Our visit was wonderful. The early morning drive over snowy mountain passes, chilly but sunny ride up Lake Chelan, and 10 mile bus ride up the valley to Holden Village was quite fun. My mom drove the bus up the 9 steep switch-backs and across an avalanche field, and we arrived safely. A brief meal and orientation had us on to a bunco game with many of the full time staff and families. It was a fun way to meet my parents friends.
During the winter there aren’t as many visitors, though there is just about as much to do. There was sledding, skiing, snowshoeing and more, plus a great periodical room, library, craft room, common area with games and hot chocolate. My parents were able to take some time off, and we did some skiing and snowshoeing, worked on some puzzles, and just enjoyed each other’s company.
Holden is a religious retreat, and there were evening vespers. I readily left my church (when able) because I was annoyed by so many aspects of the community itself; there was a large break between what Jesus was saying and what we did. I felt my time in the mountains was a better celebration of creation. I found a wonderful meshing of creation, spirituality, and community at Holden that was much more like what I’d expected christianity to resemble. It was easy to see why so many come here.
The trip was amazing, and I look forward to returning. I’ve added some pictures and panoramas.
We’ve just returned from visiting my parents at Holden Village. The commuity, the mountains, and the people are wonderful. Even knowing about the community didn’t prepare me for how welcoming and wonderful the place would be.
Other than typical Holden activities, I did get in some great turns on new boots and we all went on a 4 mile snow shoe. The mine tailings are lovely when covered with 5 feet of snow. I’ve taken a number of pictures, and they’ll be available soon.