I ran a couple errands yesterday, and in spite of my relatively crappy mood, I had a pretty good time getting shit done. The day proceeded nicely from there. My mood improved over the course of the day, and the evening was a pleasant one spent watching a movie with my Traveling Partner. Win! 😀 Road conditions seemed much improved, and I decided (last night) to go ahead and go into the office (this morning).

…I reminded myself that Mother Nature does not fuck around, and Winter weather is no joke, and to be prepared and not be complacent about the road conditions in other places than where I’d been driving the day before. I planned ahead, made sure my cane was in the car, made sure my gas tank was already full, and double-checked the reported condition of the road and took a look at some of the highway cams closer to the city. Everything seemed to check out this morning, so I got into my car and hit the road heading to the office, giving both me and my Traveling Partner a bit of a break from each other after a couple days cooped up together continuously.

The drive in was fine. I knew I’d been wise to be cautious when I got near the “top of the hill” on my way in, though; all the signal lights were out, and the temperature had dropped from 38 degrees at home to 31 degrees as I neared the “peak elevation” (only about 400 ft higher than where I started my commute). I drove a couple miles of icy highway through an obvious power outage before dropping back down to a lower elevation as I approached the city. It didn’t really warm up at all – Portland is adjacent to the Columbia River and the cold air of the gorge often flows into the city and keeps it colder than surrounding areas. The streets were quite a bit icier than anywhere else I’d driven so far. I drove with care, and I’ve got AWD and good all-terrain/all-weather tires that are in good condition. I didn’t have any difficulties, and never lost traction. All good so far.

…Parking was complicated. The street in front of the office appeared to be more or less a continuation of the sprawling sheet of ice that is the park across the street. A thick, very firmly frozen coating of ice covered the entire block. It wasn’t possible to access the indoor parking; there was ice piled pretty thick across the entrance, making it impractical to trip the sensor to open the gate at all. Street parking, then. Well, sure, but there’s literally ice everywhere on this block… LOL Nonetheless, I managed it. The bigger challenge was getting from the car, across the street, and into the building! The thick hard glossy ice was also covered with a very thin layer of… melt water. Omfg. Super slippery. I should have thought to put on my Yaktrax, but literally did not think to locate them and put them within easy reach. (Stupid eventually finds us all, if only for a moment now and then.) I was grateful to have remembered my cane. Using my cane and being quite careful, I managed to cross the street without slipping or falling. Another win! 😀

…From here, I guess it’s an ordinary day. I mean, honestly, wasn’t it already? Just an ordinary Winter work day? I sip my coffee and think affectionate thoughts at my Traveling Partner, and hope that he’s getting the rest he needs without hearing my fingers clattering away on the keyboard while he tries to sleep. I make a bowl of instant grits, and enjoy the warmth of a nostalgic breakfast. My coffee goes cold before I can enjoy it fully; the office is chilly after so many icy days (and so many vast expanses of windows). I check the thermostat and bump the heat up a bit to take the chill off, and put a fleece on over my sweater, on my way to reheat my coffee in the microwave. I smile and take a minute for gratitude… I’ve got power, light, internet access, coffee, a hot breakfast… I’m fortunate. It’s Winter. Winter has killed uncountable human beings since the dawn of humankind, and continues to kill human beings to this day. I’m fortunate, indeed.

Mmmm… hot coffee. It’s time to begin again.