Out of power

Close to a quarter-million people in Western Washington have been out of power this weekend after the worst ice storm ever. There are areas looking like following the big storm Gudrun in Sweden 2004, forests wiped out like they were clear-cut. Quite a lot of snow was expected but most of it turned to frozen rain.

In Umeå though, the forecast was accurate, and the two feet of wet heavy white stuff tucked us in. My place at the end of the road was totally embedded and Trouble 1 and Trouble 2 had to shovel me out of my wooden castle and save my grandfathers apple tree from the dangerous weight of this thing falling non stop from somewhere up there. No, although I am born and raised here I am not a big fan of winter and it’s unpredictable predictability.

I must admit though, that I am rather in Umeå than Seattle when winter weather arranges surprise parties. My latest encounter was December 2006 with gusty winds at 95 miles per hour and the 520 Bridge closed down. I arrived at SeaTac in company with the snow and felt so bad for my friends Terry and Doug who picked me up and had to spend two dangerous hours on black ice back to Seattle, a 20 minute commute a normal day. To make my stay even more adventures I was staying over at Bainbridge Island. The usually cozy Smith-Heffron residence turned pretty cold during the four-day power outage, the gas stations ran out of gas and the only warm place was the ferry where the cafeteria was out of soup 11.30 in the morning.

Extreme conditions have another side to it though. The ladies room at the ferry turned to a sisterly gathering where blow driers and mascaras were passed between us, preparing for the Seattle Christmas parties we were heading for. And all over the ferry people took friendly turns at the power outlets to charge computers and cell phones, storm stories, chocolate bars and a warm coat.

Winters in the north of Sweden are snowy and cold, that’s a natural. But when we are measuring snow in meters and mercury falls below -10 F (ca -23 C) I am often struck by the fact that this is really a dangerous place. These conditions would be life threatening if we didn’t know how to handle them. How to build our houses safe and warm. How to dress. How to drive. How to walk. How to breathe. Knowledge that is passed on from generation to generation. Like the forests. But when the storm hits, in Western Washington or the Umeå region, and trees falls like matches, we have to surrender. There are things that are out of our hands. Things out of our power.