The most beautiful sight

[MissB]

The utility truck is parked within sight, which means they are working on our line.

No power since early Saturday (5:15 am) before the storm started.

Our generator has been helping but we haven’t gotten above 45 in the house. Fireplace has been going constantly.

[LakeArenal]

1. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

[debm55]

2. Where do you live? I am happy for you. That's a long wait.

[MissB]

3. PNW

Portland metro area.

Temperatures have been in the teens. Expecting an ice storm later today, early afternoon.

We had an ice storm in 2021 that knocked out our power for a week.

The utility tends to prioritize larger outages so our smaller neighborhood is often one of the last ones to get power. The hilly neighborhood and large trees often mean treacherous working conditions for utility crews.

Our school has no power and our water district lost water yesterday so I think that’s worked in our favor a bit this time in terms of getting crews out.

[kiri]

4. Portland where?

Portland, OR, ME, TX, IL? England?

[Kali]

5. subject line says PNW

Pacific North West - Oregon

[Delmette2.0]

6. PNW means Pacific Northwest.

I have two nieces who live out there.

[niyad]

7. Oh my word. All extremities crossed that your power is restored as soon as possible.

Four days??? Yikes!!!

[MissB]

10. It was a week last time

But not nearly as cold. It’s cold.

[niyad]

12. It has been bitterly cold here on the Front Range, as well. Fortunately, no loss

of power, at least in my area. But I dread next month's heating bills!

Be safe and well.

[Warpy]

8. Time to put in a fireplace insert of some description

so that all the warm air in the house doesn't get sucked up the chimney.

I say this as somebody who heated with wood both in New England and New Mexico.

If I lived in a rental and couldn't put in a wood stove, I made sure cooking was with gas, so if the power went out, I blocked the kitchen door with a quilt and started baking. That was a win-win.

[MissB]

9. We do have an insert

It’s super cold here, and the PNW didn’t really worry about insulation back in the day (house is 100 years old).

The insert has made a real difference for sure.

[Warpy]

14. I hear ya. Old frame houses in Boston didn't have insulation, either

and 100 years old counted as new construction.

The old Victorian kitchens were originally fitted out for a coal stove, containing that and a huge sink big enough for hand laundry and that's it. People generally lived in the kitchen in winter, I think, since the rest of the place would have been pretty grim. Visitors wouldn't have been asked to surrender their coats if they'd been received in the parlor.

Those kitchens must've been especially miserable in summer.

[Nululu]

11. Power back today in Oregon.

It went out on Friday. Back today. We were so cold. 14-21 degrees outside. Still 21 degrees outside. There were dozens of downed trees in our neighborhood.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. Is there a way to break into the furnace circuit so you can plug it into the generator?

I found a junction box near my furnace and wired a plug into it, so I can run an extension cord to it. After shutting off the appropriate circuit breakers, of course. It heated the house.

Best of luck. Freezing sucks.