We broke free...for two hours

Yesterday morning, Thursday, was the first morning of the week without ice.  We were surprised how clear it was.  The rain had really done its job.  There were traces of slushy ice on the ground, but it was negotiable.

The forecast called for artic temps to return at four in the afternoon.  Jodie and I work for the same agency, but different offices.  I decided to work from Jodie's office yesterday, since it is only a mile from our house.  We would just leave by three in the afternoon to avoid the "freeze."

E's school was canceled Monday and Wednesday this week.  School was open on Thursday.  Before we went to Jodie's office, we dropped E off at my in-laws.  He rides with cousin Vance to school.

As soon as we got to Jodie's office it began to snow.

Within an hour the snow had turned the streets white.  School closed.  An hour after that E, Vance, friend Marcus, and sis-in-law Denise were at Jodie's office to escort us home.  Vance and Marcus did a awesome job escorting myself and Jodie to our van.  E opened the door and started it up.  Denise drove it home for us.  Then, they went and got groceries for us.

Back home, Jodie and I felt silly.  We were trying to be responsible.  We hadn't been to work all week,  and we thought there was a big enough break in the weather to make it to our jobs. Denise said not to worry.

I don't remember there being such a long freezing spell here before.  Tomorrow, a huge storm is supposed to hit, bringing eight inches of snow.  It's not supposed to warm up until Christmas Eve.

Our offices are understanding of our mobility issues as it relates to not being able to get around on ice, but still, it is hard for us to accept.

Iced in!

It started snowing here on Sunday, just as the forcasters said.  It does not snow much here in the Portland area.  Usually we have one or two snow incidents a year, lasting just a couple days.

People who have moved here from areas that get more snow are surprised at how little snow it takes to paralyze the area.  The highlight of the "storms" we get around here is watching the local tv reporters shivering on the coldest overpasses around town.

Most people laugh at the overkill coverage these snow events get.  For Jodie and I, it's a real hassle!

Jodie uses crutches.  I don't use crutches (I do use a walker some of the time), but my balance, my unstable gait, oh, and the fact I slipped on ice and broke my arm a couple years ago - we don't do ice. 

We use to have a set of snow tires for our last vehicle, a minivan.   We stopped putting them on years ago when we realized that it does no good to be able to drive anywhere  in snow and ice if we can't even safely make it to and from our car!

When it's icy, we stay home.  It's safer for us, and for whoever would have to rescue us if we got stuck, or fell, or had an accident.  It kind of annoys us, as if it is a life situation where we have not overcome our disability.  We more or less accept is as a practical limitation.

Most of the time, wintry conditions that make us housebound lasts two or three days.  In January 2004 we missed four days of work because of a big snow event.  That is the longest time we have stayed home because of weather.

We stand to break that record this year.  It snowed last Sunday.   It has been below freezing since.  Today is Wednesday.  It snowed this morning, and rained this afternoon.  A night of rain would clear the slush out for us, but the temps are supposed to dip tonight, and arctic temps are returning.

A large snow event is supposed to hit Sunday into Monday and Tuesday!

Jodie and I don't know at this point whether we will be returning to work tomorrow, Friday, even into next week.

Jodie and I can do some work from home, and that really helps, but it still makes us feel funny being away from our offices so long.

Believing in the kids

A neat story about one of the wonderful foster parents that serves Oregon's overstreches, underfunded network of foster homes.

I work in the office, Dept. of Human Services, my nose in policy and killing trees.  It is heartwarming to read a positive story of what it's all about.

Fostering Connections to Success

This may be  a bit dry for some...but welcome to my world!

Federal funding for kids in foster care, aka Title IV-E funding, my day  job is determining which kids we (the State of Oregon) can collect those funds for to reimburse the state for the cost of care.

This is huge news for us!

The passage of The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act calls for delinking the eligibility from the old afdc program.

I have the numbers memorized...a family of 2 $499...a family of 3 $616...a family of 4 $795.  A big part of my job is figuring out how much money the family from which a child was removed earned during the month the child was removed.

We are still using 1996 AFDC needs standards!  Totally arcane!

Maybe, with this provision going away....my job will go away?  

I wouldn't be that lucky!