Thank god that’s over. For now anyway. There’s still two more months of winter to get through. They kept calling it the Arctic Blast here in Portland, Oregon and it hit my life the Sunday before Christmas. Twice a nearby friend got me to the store to get yet more supplies I didn’t predict I’d need but the rest of the time I sat in my house alone with my 4 cats crossing our fingers the power wouldn’t go out. It did early on for half an hour and I discovered the electric company has a dandy computerized system that told me right away how many homes in my area were hit and that they were working on finding the source and expected to have it back on within the hour. After that I bought little battery-operated lights you can tack to your walls and press when the lights go out so you don’t have to worry about setting your house on fire with candles. They were even cheap. Many times I crunched out to the bird and squirrel feeders in knee deep drifts during those 5-6 days. I pictured them huddling in tiny crevices somewhere when they weren’t foodseeking. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were solitary except for a neighbor who brought a plate of cookies by. Family time had to wait till Monday the 29th for my daughter whose highway was shut down in between our cities and New Year’s Eve day for my son and grandchildren. Altogether we had 18.9 inches last month, the most in 40 years. In fact, the previous record for snow on the ground on Christmas Day in Portland was only an inch. All the counties around me, including mine, declared emegencies. The airport was a zoo. By the time the snow began to melt, I had pretty much achieved meltdown too. It taught me a lot. About preparation, about patience, about fear, about my physical limits, and about love. Yes, love. Holidays are always Love Tests anyway. By the time my family finally reached me, each of them brought gifts of the spirit that were unique and irreplaceable. We held hands around the table briefly before we ate our meal, a few tears were shed, and once again a New Year beckoned.

Thousands Join March to Protest Against Israeli Action
by Tracy McVeigh and Ben Quinn
Protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza became heated last night when up to 5,000 people gathered outside the country's London embassy. (Rest of article here.)