The Arctic storm decimating much of the United States has thus far had a more limited impact in western Washington, which is my neck of the woods. Even so, we have still had unusually harsh weather for late December. For example, a few days ago we were hit with one of the biggest ice storms I have experienced since moving here more than three decades ago.
At one point my driveway was so slick with ice that I didn’t dare traversing the 50 feet to the mailbox without wearing crampons. Nor did it seem like a good idea to drive to town even with all-wheel drive.
Of course, that didn’t stop some folks from trying to go about their business. Videos of people doing silly things in Seattle have been quite popular on the intertubes (e.g., Leighton, 2022).
My family is well-enough stocked with the basic essentials that the main potential problem has been the power going out. We’re now in the middle of a rain storm with high winds . . . and my lights have been flickering as I write this.
If the power did go out, I would fire up the wood stove and manage Indie Auto via a smart phone. As a case in point, I can monitor and respond to comments but wouldn’t have the ability to work on new stories.
I hope all of you stay safe and warm — and have a happy new year. Thank you to all who take the time out of your day to read Indie Auto. I particularly appreciate those of you who have cultivated a robust dialogue by commenting. And, of course, we couldn’t keep Indie Auto online without those of you who have made financial donations. This publication is entirely reader supported.
I hope that in the coming year Indie Auto will continue to be a website that is worthy of your attention and support.
RE:SOURCES
- Leighton, Mara; 2022. “TikToks from Seattle’s ice storm showing people crawling up icy streets on their hands and knees and cars crashing in slow-motion into each other.” Insider. Posted Dec. 27.
How did the storm progress? Did you lose power?
Where l live in Southern Ontario, usually we get weather from the southwest, so storms from the U.S. mid-west often end up here. l am on the same latitude as Flint Michigan (but 3 hours further east), so lots of weather passing through Indiana and Michigan ends up here. We had a few wicked days just before Christmas as well, but luckily in my particular area (Brant County) we are in a “sweet spot” where lake-effect weather only reaches an occasion and we were able to travel to relatives without difficulty.
BTW, l have not tried it for a while, but was the Pay-pal issue ever fixed? Myself – and a couple of others last year – were trying to donate to Indie Auto were thwarted. Wouldn’t work!
Happy New Year to all. And THANKS for your work here, Steve.
Stewdi, we’ve kept power so far but the west is getting hammered with a succession of major storms, so who knows what the future holds. The weather isn’t nearly as challenging as it was when I lived in Cleveland, which I would imagine has winters at least somewhat like yours. Was glad I had a four-wheel-drive Subaru, although it rusted out pretty quickly from all of the salt they point on the roads.
Thank you for asking about PayPal. When I looked under its virtual hood I didn’t see anything to tweak and others have successfully made donations. However, I have added a Stripe option. I also added a comment thread at the bottom of the page, so if you have any more technical problems you can report them immediately.
Donation thru Stripe completed!
Thank you Stewdi. Your support is greatly appreciated.