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The weekend storm that blanketed an average of 27 inches of snow on Montgomery County generated plenty of frustration and sore muscles, but also opportunities for neighborly bonding.

The storm paralyzed governments, shuttered schools and crippled businesses. Churches postponed services. Colleges canceled classes.

The National Weather Service had predicted as much as 20 inches of additional snow from the mid-week storm. The first flakes started falling as The Gazette's Tuesday deadline neared.

This week's storms left lots of stories in their slushy, icy wake. Here are some of them.

Strung together

For Karen Cole of Garrett Park, the extension cords her neighbor Charles Berry helped string from his house, which had power, to hers, which didn't, were lifelines for warmth and light and enchiladas.

Cole forged ahead with a dinner party Saturday despite not having electricity. She had second thoughts when she realized that she needed a blender to make cashew sauce for her enchiladas.

"It was really feeling hopeless until [Berry] came along and said ‘I was thinking we could string a line.' Just that one heater and one light made a big difference in our outlook," Cole said.

But with guests on the way, the space heater and the light weren't Cole's priorities.

"The first thing I plugged in was a blender so I could have my dinner party," she said.

Not only did Berry string extension cords to the next two houses down, he let neighborhood children whose homes were without power spend the night.

Neighbor Todd Del Priore, a U.S. Department of Defense contractor reported for duty remotely on Monday.

"It's just a great community here, everybody's more than willing to help," he said.

The storm also brought the town of Washington Grove (pop. 540) even closer, as more than two dozen residents ventured to a Sunday afternoon marshmallow roast outside the 130-year-old town hall and neighbors lent a hand to help dig out.

Joe Clark and Bruce Rothrock shared a wall socket when the power to Clark's home of 11 years went out early Saturday morning.

For four days, three of Clark's extension cords joined to one of Rothrock's cords and stretched several hundred feet between the friends' homes.

"There's no way I could pay him enough, and there's nothing I could do that he would accept," said Clark, 69, the recently retired pastor of Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg.

Then he remembered their shared love for woodworking.

"Yeah, I'll make him a bowl or a pepper grinder or something," he said.

Neighborhood sleepovers

In Silver Spring's Rock Creek Woods neighborhood, it came down to the "haves" and the "have-nots."

So when about half the neighborhood lost electricity Saturday, the other half adopted households to stay with neighbors who had heat — and a television to watch the Super Bowl.

"The haves are inviting the have-nots," said Mike Hoyt, who fretted he would miss his first Super Bowl in his 66 years. "Several people came by and checked on me, ‘Are you doing all right?' It's just a tremendous neighborly thing."

Hoyt slept at a neighbor's house Sunday. Monday night, he went to a festive Rock Creek Woods potluck.

Neal Cox, a fellow Silver Spring "have-not," said the neighborhood came together from the start, even shoveling a path and escorting an elderly woman from her cold, dark house on a child's sled.

"We've been really counting our blessings," said Cox, who is staying with neighbors Claudia Dean and Adam Gonzalez.

Neighbors often worked together for the great dig out. Lorenzo Branch of Gaithersburg and neighbors pitched in to help elderly residents.

"We got together and helped each other out shoveling snow. Everybody came together," said Branch, 45.

Parenthood weathers the storm

A couple toys, batteries and two big boxes of diapers for her 8-month-old son, Javier.

All essentials that Emily Vasquez pushed out of Toys ‘R' Us on Monday. Vasquez, 19, of Gaithersburg, said diaper shortages at grocery stores forced her to head to the toy store in Gaithersburg.

Richard Thompson's 12-year-old and 10-year-old sons needed something to keep them occupied, he said. Thompson, 48, of Boyds, said his sons have cabin fever and were arguing.

"Just to keep the peace in the house, I had to come out and get a couple of games," Thompson said. "I don't mind spending a couple of bucks if it will keep them occupied and not at each other's throats."

Staff Writers Terri Hogan, Sebastian Montes, Meghan Tierney and Andre L. Taylor contributed to this report.