Did I say snow?

That last post -- nyah, that wasn't a snow storm. Not like what we have now. It's been snowing since Saturday -- you'd think that would give us more than 10 inches, but this is Portland, after all. And half way down in that 10 inches of powder is half an inch of ice, which really spices up the slickness of the roads and walkways. It makes for wonderful sledding, however, and the neighborhood boys have spent considerable time whizzing down the steep and winding hill just a few blocks away, where they have closed the road (no one would be able to drive up it anyway).

And yeah, I know there are terrible winter storms all across the northern half of North America, but as far as our papers and tv-stations are concerned, the world ends at the Oregon border (Vancouver, Washington, which shares the river with Portland and where they've gotten more snow than us, is an honorary Oregon city). I've heard personal rumors that the Midwest is suffering record sub-zero cold, and parts of New York have gotten four feet of snow, but as far as our local news networks are concerned, that world is beyond the Columbia Gorge -- where they've gotten more than three feet of snow and the winds are still howling at 60 mph (enough to blow a semi-truck to another lane): hence, Interstate 84 has been closed for three days.

The U.S. Mail didn't even deliver today.

Nor storm, nor sleet, nor dead of night
Shall delay these couriers
From their appointed rounds.

Yeah, right.

A layer of ice coats everything.

To be fair, rumor has it that Portland only has five snowplows (and I've seen only one in the last two weeks of snow, so I believe it). And no one has told them to plow and then drop gravel, rather than the other way around. And we've gotten enough snow and ice and freezing cold that even the Twin Cities would be slowed by this storm (but not stopped, as we are). Chains are required on all vehicles within the city limits (but HomoDommi -- who was out, bechained with an all-wheel drive vehicle, three times today -- says that a significant number of people are without chains, and they are dangerous, causing accidents and getting stuck in the unplowed intersections all over).

Maybe, in Portland, the world will end in ice. From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. But ice is also great, and would suffice.



Correction: According to The Oregonian, 23/12/08, we officially have 13" of snow, making this one of the major storms ever for Portland, but still out of the Top 10 for recorded history (since 1880).