How Many Like Me? 88+ Years Old?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                             

                      Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24, 2022 at Steve/Molly's house.  Our immediate family was not in Portland this year and because of Covid, we are not socializing, either. The news just told us that the numbers of people needing the hospital is rising with Covid, the flu, which is so similar, and a child's virus, offshoot of Covid referred to as RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus)..  

We've had all our vaccinations and boosters, but at my age--not much natural immune system left that's workable so the need to be very careful.  My mom lived till 92, so I have high hopes that I have some of those long-life genes, but Dad died at 59, so what can I do but take care. Born in 1908, he had lived through the "flu"  of 1917, but had something like hepatitis that took his life from a blood transfusion, I believe.    

A ‘Tripledemic’? Flu, R.S.V. and Covid May Collide This Winter, Experts Say  Flu cases are higher than usual for this time of year and are expected to soar in the coming weeks. Another virus, R.S.V., already is straining pediatric hospitals in some states.

I woke up this morning, a few days after Thanksgiving,  wondering how many other 88 year olds were living in Gresham by themselves like me?  I was thinking of starting a business putting men to work who had nothing to do and would like to help us seniors who couldn't manage to do things like turn their mattresses over for a routine rotation.  I haven't been able to do that for ages by myself.

I had this idea that there were men sitting in the city library, reading, who might be there because they had nowhere else to go to keep warm and had no job.  I just heard on TV that the library would be open to 5pm for such people as a warm shelter.  

I could take these men, put a crown on their head that said something like HELPER, and they could go to a neighborhood and go to all the homes offering to turn their mattress for them for $5.  There's always other things that need their help, such as window washing, too.  I have a kitchen window that I can't get to or budge that needs help badly.  I guess the thing the men would need is transportation and maybe lunch at the home worked in.   They don't have to sing for their supper, just help out with a few of their muscles that we lack.  

On 2nd thought, in today's world, this wouldn't work.  The only group we could trust might be a scout troupe that was working on a badge of merit who also had their scout leader supervising, or a church group.  Well, it was an idea.  

Portland, where I was born and raised, has a population this year of  a whopping 2,197,000.  When my son was born in 1953, we had a population of only 554,000.  There's no listing for 1934, but in 1920, the population of Portland was only 258,288 and  by 1930 was 301,815 .  

Austin, Texas is close to our population with 2,176,000. 

 The 4th largest city in Oregon is Gresham with a population of 115,977 and is where I now live.  Spanning over 24 miles, Gresham has a population density of 4,967 people per square mile.

Me a long time ago in my family's home in Portland when we had a lot of snow.  I see a sled in the foreground. We kept the home in the family.  My son and daughter in law have lived there since then. 

Our Mom and Dad had moved into our home from South Portland, where they had been living with our Bubba.  Portland's population in 1930 was 301,815 and they married in 1932.  It was about 1935 when they moved into their permanent home in Portland.  The neighborhood was a new one, originally farmland.   

                        December 2008 in Gresham 

The average household income in Gresham is $69,723 with a poverty rate of 16.07%. A lot of us seniors depend on social security only.   The median age in Gresham is 36.7 years, 35.1 years for males, and 38.6 years for females.  So there's not many of us 88 year olds living in Gresham, then. We make up only 3% of the population.   The seniors, 65 and over, make up 14.1% of the population.  

Those in Gresham of any age with a BS or BA degree from college make up 22.7% of the population, of which I'm a part as I was a teacher in Portland and a sub in Gresham.  

Resource:

https://greshamoregon.gov/Demographics/

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/gresham-or-population

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Portland,_Oregon

https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html

Gresham, Oregon Has Grown Up: 4th Largest City in Oregon

 Nadene Goldfoot                                            

    Main Street in Gresham, the street I'm on Main Street to go to the Library, my new dentist, and several restaurants we visited before Covid.  

Gresham used to be the country-side of Portland, Oregon.  It's where kids went to pick berries in the summer and make some money from it.  Its elevation is 325 feet high.  Portland's only 50 feet.  Though much of Gresham is relatively flat, it is characterized by a hill on its eastern border. Northeast Gresham is also hilly, particularly where the city meets Troutdale toward the Columbia River. Its elevation is 325 feet (99 m) with a minimun elevation of 3 feet and a maximum of 1,063 feet. Portland's average elevation is 256 feet. Troutdale's is only 180 feet.   

                         Johnson Creek's vast area

The City of Gresham and Johnson Creek Watershed Council are hosting an bioblitz through the iNaturalist app to encourage you to get outside and learn how to make observations in nature, as well as learn about what organisms are thriving in your community. All you need to do is download the iNaturalist app, create a login, and participate anytime between April 15th and April 30th by logging observations of plants and animals you find outside. Some ideas of this is a new flower you find during a walk around your block, or a cool insect you find under a rock in your yard. 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.43 square miles (60.68 km²), of which 23.20 square miles (60.09 km²) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.60 km²) is water.   It covers city area of 23.65 sq mi or  (61.26 sq km), rank is still 4th largest city in Oregon State; and  264th  city in the United States.

The total area includes parts of Fairview Creek and Johnson Creek.   Johnson Creek, which begins at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, runs westward through Gresham, with 23 percent of the creek's watershed running through the city.

 Though Gresham began as a settlement in the mid-1800s, it was not officially incorporated as a city until 1905; it was named after Walter Quintin Gresham, the American Civil War general and United States Secretary of State.

The city's early economy was sustained largely by farming, and by the mid-20th century the city experienced a population boom, growing from 4,000 residents to over 10,000 between 1960 and 1970. The population was 105,594 at the 2010 census, making Gresham the fourth largest city in Oregon.  Gresham population in 2022 is estimated to be 112,819,   Portland is the largest city, then Salem-the capital is the 2nd largest, and Eugene is the 3rd largest.  That's the home of University of Oregon.  Oregon State, who just won the football game over U of O, is in Corvallis, Oregon, situated half-way between Salem and Eugene.    

                                            

                     A past snowy day, no shoveling needed

Rain and snow are forecast for Gresham by December 1st, 2022 this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Rain and Snow will start again by Wednesday, December 7th and continue to Sunday, December 11th, and that ends our 10 day forecast given today.  From then on?  I just hope it doesn't get colder bringing on only snow.  

     Here is Gresham, just north of Portland near Washington's border.  The Beaver State (Oregon's nickname) occupies an area of 254,800 km² (98,379 sq mi) , compared Oregon is slightly larger than the United Kingdom. Compared with other US states, New Jersey would fit into Oregon 11 times.  Incidently, Israel is about the size of New Jersey.  

Rarely is Gresham remembered when TV news gives the weather forecast.  I remember seeing Gresham mentioned once in all my viewing.  We're slightly different from Portland, though are on the outskirts.  Our elevation in different places makes a lot of difference between rain and snow, and our closeness to the Gorge of the Columbia River gives us far more wind.  Gresham is a very windy city.