#306 - Don't Like Ice Storms

Power Out

Last night we crawled in bed, wondering if we'd hear news of a new baby in the night, But before turning off the lights, they went off on their own. No power.

By morning, much of Portland had no power.

​Iced In
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​We were iced in. We couldn't see out the windows or door. I felt like I was in a big bathroom, surrounded by frosted shower doors.

I felt extra claustrophobic, when we realized the door was frozen shut. I had to climb out a skinny window and chisel away at an inch of ice, that cemented the door closed.

So Many Layers

Once again, we were glad Heidi and Jamie were safe at the hospital, with power. We bundled up and dreamed of being able to make coffee and wait on baby news. 

Don tried to light the grill to heat water for coffee, but we got distracted by the smoke alarm going off in our unit. By the time we messed with the confused alarm, we realized both our phones were low on power! How can we get hospital updates?

Hike to Car

I grabbed a pointy umbrella and used it like an ice pick, to climb the icy stairs.

I only fell once and banged my elbow good. I also dropped my cell phone, which then shot down the ice-hill like a bobsled. 

The car looked like a blue candied apple, covered with a thick, slick 1-inch shell of ice. I headed back down and Don and I began making trips with thermal mugs of hot water. We got Don's door open and spent 30 minutes thawing ourselves and charging our phones. 

Beautiful

No progress with baby, so I carefully ventured a bit on foot to see the beautiful neighborhood. So quiet and serene... except for crashing sounds now and then, coming from the the woods. Ice covered limbs, cracked and snapped and thundered, out of sight. A bull, loose in the woods? 

So beautiful and eerie. The outdoor entertainment was a fun distraction from the nervous waiting... for this baby who does not want to come into the world. It was nice to be outside and see the world, even if my body was numb. It was only down to 53 inside, but it felt creepy, cold and dark. In our own home we have "stuff" to deal with outages. Not at an Airbnb.

Feb. 13, 2021?

By early evening, Heidi and Jamie were giving us weary updates from the hospital. I looked out at the message I had scratched earlier, into the thick ice.

So it looks like Baby Hurst will not be arriving on February 13. My little sign looks a bit sad and sloppy. I guess it's just as well, she is not coming on ice storm day on the 13th of February!

But at least our power came back on by 6! No internet or TV, but we are warm, while we wait!
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