Aaron Anderson

Crazy strong wind today. Power was out for a while as a tree took down a powerline in NW Portland. Short walk today, just around the neighborhood to see how things are doing, before a stop at the local pub.

What worries me when weather like this happens is that the news coverage still treats worsening storms as freak events, and not as the new normal that we seem to be moving towards.

Purchases today:
$130 for a sewing machine
$45 for a couple new dresses for fiance
$?? for the bar tab that hasn't arrived yet.

Calm weather today, the calm between the storm fronts. While on campus out at Marylhurst today I took the time to look in on the stream on the south side of campus. The stream is a year-round one, ground-fed from a seep a few hundred yards across the street and uphill from campus. It also, because of all of the local impervious surfaces, can see a wicked rough storm surge. Ten months ago, during the last real storm we had, the surge was enough to change the path of the stream, wipe out a the pathway over it, and carve out a new channel around a culvert.

A few purchases made today:
Cappucino and Grilled Cheese sandwich - for lunch with my boss at NCUWC, talking about the next bit of work for the watershed council.
Red Bull and Chocolate - to help the fiancé get up, and feel motivated to homework during the day.
Coke and bags of popcorn - snack for the Alpha Phi Tau meeting, though the popcorn didn't get eaten yet.
Pre-Order of Civilization VI - because I needed an excuse for failing to turn homework in on time later in the term....

Rainy wet day out today as a major storm system begins to hit Portland.

The table is setup in the BP John lobby for an evening of signing people up for the Marylhurst University team.

Our setup to sign people up for the Marylhurst University team. Greg setting up  the stream table, Sister Carole talking about water and bottled water, and I am wrangling passers-by into signing up.

Heading down through St Johns Park to go out  on the river for an Enviro Sci class.

Was watching the squirrels scamper swiftly about in the trees alongside campus as I walked down from the bus stop. I imagine the sudden turn of the season, from Summer heat to the Fall drizzle, caught them as much by surprise as it did everyone else. Actually, I worry a bit about whether they have prepared enough food and fattened up enough for the Winter. Yet, the last couple of winters have been so mild that they may be able to find at least some minimal forage through until Spring and the woods quicken and bud and flower once again.

Cool, drizzly, overcast day today. So a perfect day for going and out taking a walk around campus, or around one of the forested parks around Portland.