It's almost 4am and I haven't slept. It's hard to sleep when you're wondering if the trees outside are going to break under the strain of the ice weighing them down. Our house is literally surrounded by almost 20 old growth Douglas fir trees. Big, tall trees with many branches currently weighed down by layers of ice and snow. If one of the trees falls, chances are it will fall right into our house.

I've heard many of those trees' branches break tonight, though it's hard to tell when they're ours or the neighbors'. I can see some small branches laying on the ground in the yard, though I dare not venture out too far to check. I don't know where and when the next is going to fall. I've been told in the past I need some sense knocked into me, but surely there are better ways than to have a branch do the knocking.

We've had a lot of freezing rain in the last 24 hours, and snow, sleet, snow pellets, etc., since new year's day. Oregon may get a day or two of snow a year under normal conditions which rarely sticks where I live, but this is anything but normal. The road is shiny from the freezing rain, and I haven't dared to try going down the driveway, which is a small hill, to test how slick they are. Needless to say, I haven't traveled on the Purple Plaything, which is still a scooter and not a sex toy, in a few of days.

I did venture downtown on Monday (had to go to the bank), when the conditions were better, though there was still ice in many places. My scooter did come out from under me once as I was coming to a stop sign, but I managed to catch it before it fell over completely. My leg, which I used to break the fall, is still sore. I wonder if the person in the big SUV behind me on the road laughed.

There are two hills between me and the nearest store, so we're going to have to sit tight until the weather gets better. I'm running dangerously low on Pepsi... I know it won't last the day. Even my supply of M&Ms is near empty. Actual important supplies are holding, though there are things we need from the store. But they'll have to wait.

My sister-in-law's father is in the hospital after having suffered a brain hemorrhage, so I'm worried about her traveling to and from the hospital, which is over 30 minutes away from her house.

The weather forecast shows a high of 48 degrees on Friday. It would be nice if it happens, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Maybe my predictions of mutant snow people forcing us into an ice age in order to take over the world is coming true. You never know. Between now and Friday more freezing rain is expected.

We interrupt this ramble to bring you an important early morning 3.5 hour power outage.

It gets rather cold when one has no heat.

Power has now been restored. Thank you for your patience. Your ramble will continue once the rambler has dethawed.

Here it is, midday. There are approximately 12 million branches, big and small, strewn across the yard, to the point where, from a distance, our yard look lush and green. It is upon closer inspection one notices the green is comprised of 12 million branches. None of them did damage to the house... although branches are still falling, so damage is still a possibility.

The dogs were having quite the time last night, barking each time they heard a branch break. It's a loud, ominous sound. I couldn't fall asleep until well after daylight.

The airport in Portland is now closed. Schools have been closed all week. We've been putting out food for the birds and the squirrels, since the ground is too frozen to forage. The local news has been going almost non-stop, covering the storm which looks nothing like Oregon and a lot like Alaska.

All in all, a good time is being had by all.

I'm off to venture down to the mailbox, which across the street (and down the small hill which is my driveway) to get the mail. Wish me luck.