There's no denying it - it's cold in Portland. Right at this moment, early on a Sunday morning, it's 21 degrees F. Last night, it was 17 degrees with sustained 20+ mph winds. We've go a good six to eight inches of show across the Laurelhurst neighborhood, with drifts as much as two feet high. I haven't seen powder snow like this since Montana or Utah. The Willamette valley just does NOT get powder like this. And if we do, it doesn't stay around long, that's for sure.
A long, protracted week of sub-freezing has taught us quite a bit about how weather tight the Cottage is. An 85 year old home has the potential to be pretty drafty if it still hasn't been retrofitted with insulation. The news is pretty good about this house. Overall, the windows and doors are pretty draft-free. I notice that the cupboards along the exterior wall of the kitchen and dining room are noticeably colder inside than the ambient of the house. These cupboards are on the eastern wall, where the exposure to the wind is higher. It's not a cold spot, just noticeable that the air cools down inside. The furnace doesn't run overly hard to keep the house warm - it seems to be turned off more than 50% of the time, even while keeping the house 60 degrees warmer than the outside temp. Upstairs has some 'cooler' spots. A little electric space heater usage, though, and everything seems to be fine. The biggest change to normal living is that we close the door from the kitchen to the basement when it's this cold. The basement stays warm within reason, but right now the temperature differential is enough to create a convection draft when the door is open. If that's our big compromise for all this snow, that's not bad at all.
Last night was just a little different, though. With the wind blowing at 20mph sustained, from the east, and ambient temps already in the teens, windchill was extreme. The wind absolutely howled across the rooftops. People trying to walk Peacock Lane bent into the wind like walking uphill. No one stayed long.
I worried for a while last night that the Chestnut tree in our front yard might lose a limb or two overnight. I reassured myself that the tree has withstood similar storms for many years. Still, those aged branches - full of now frozen rain seepage - could snap under these conditions. A tree that mature is allowed to have a couple weak points in its branches. In the morning light, however, I see we've lost none and my worry was - however justified - not required this time.
Through a couple circumstances, I ended up falling asleep on the couch in the upstairs family room last night. The rest of the family was having a 'nightowl' session in the downstairs bedroom, making use of the TV. Needing some time away, I curled up with Michener's Hawaii, and read for a while. The wind was definitely sucking heat through the window panes, but really nothing different than we experienced even in the 21st century construction of the Lesser Way house. I did wake up early this morning, however, because of the cold. But then, I was sleeping on the couch with just one throw blanket over me, six hours after the thermostat had switched to nighttime temperatures. It would be unfair to think my morning chill was any different today than on any winter day.
Nevertheless, here I am, sitting in the home office at 7am on Sunday morning, blogging. Not sleeping. Setting up the Vista environment on C's PC now that she uses the computer much more regularly as a communications device. Watching the perceived source of light shift from the snow (as it always seems that the night is lit from below by the snow) to the grey, hazy morning sky. Thinking.
I've a night photo of Peacock Lane that I took last night. It's a stitched panorama showing the full view from our dining room. I'll post it later.
A long, protracted week of sub-freezing has taught us quite a bit about how weather tight the Cottage is. An 85 year old home has the potential to be pretty drafty if it still hasn't been retrofitted with insulation. The news is pretty good about this house. Overall, the windows and doors are pretty draft-free. I notice that the cupboards along the exterior wall of the kitchen and dining room are noticeably colder inside than the ambient of the house. These cupboards are on the eastern wall, where the exposure to the wind is higher. It's not a cold spot, just noticeable that the air cools down inside. The furnace doesn't run overly hard to keep the house warm - it seems to be turned off more than 50% of the time, even while keeping the house 60 degrees warmer than the outside temp. Upstairs has some 'cooler' spots. A little electric space heater usage, though, and everything seems to be fine. The biggest change to normal living is that we close the door from the kitchen to the basement when it's this cold. The basement stays warm within reason, but right now the temperature differential is enough to create a convection draft when the door is open. If that's our big compromise for all this snow, that's not bad at all.
Last night was just a little different, though. With the wind blowing at 20mph sustained, from the east, and ambient temps already in the teens, windchill was extreme. The wind absolutely howled across the rooftops. People trying to walk Peacock Lane bent into the wind like walking uphill. No one stayed long.
I worried for a while last night that the Chestnut tree in our front yard might lose a limb or two overnight. I reassured myself that the tree has withstood similar storms for many years. Still, those aged branches - full of now frozen rain seepage - could snap under these conditions. A tree that mature is allowed to have a couple weak points in its branches. In the morning light, however, I see we've lost none and my worry was - however justified - not required this time.
Through a couple circumstances, I ended up falling asleep on the couch in the upstairs family room last night. The rest of the family was having a 'nightowl' session in the downstairs bedroom, making use of the TV. Needing some time away, I curled up with Michener's Hawaii, and read for a while. The wind was definitely sucking heat through the window panes, but really nothing different than we experienced even in the 21st century construction of the Lesser Way house. I did wake up early this morning, however, because of the cold. But then, I was sleeping on the couch with just one throw blanket over me, six hours after the thermostat had switched to nighttime temperatures. It would be unfair to think my morning chill was any different today than on any winter day.
Nevertheless, here I am, sitting in the home office at 7am on Sunday morning, blogging. Not sleeping. Setting up the Vista environment on C's PC now that she uses the computer much more regularly as a communications device. Watching the perceived source of light shift from the snow (as it always seems that the night is lit from below by the snow) to the grey, hazy morning sky. Thinking.
I've a night photo of Peacock Lane that I took last night. It's a stitched panorama showing the full view from our dining room. I'll post it later.
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