Fingers still not totally thawed… Brain not up to a well-written account – just too wilted…
Hope you won’t mind this stream of consciousness kind of post…
* Safe and sound but have had a very wild ride since Friday afternoon.
* 20 inches of snow, ice, and hurricane force winds.
* Large tree down in our yard – took phone and TV cable with it.
* No electricity for 2 days and 2 nights.
Translation: No Heat, No Lights, No Water, No Cooking for 48 hours – in the winter!
* Snow began in earnest Friday afternoon. Lost power early that evening. Temperature inside the house went down to 50 degrees that first night – which made for a very COLD sleep. On Saturday morning, we woke up sore and shivering with no chance for a hot cup of anything.
*Our daughter was texting us constantly. She wanted us to drive to her place in the city where the power outages were not so widespread. That was out of the question as our Governor had placed a state-wide ban on all travel for the 24 hours surrounding the storm.
* When the ban was finally lifted, we attempted to drive somewhere nearby to search for a motel in which to spend our 2nd freezing night.
* Found vacancies but no power at any of the motels. Nothing open for miles. A thick crust of ice covered the face of the all big stores and restaurants, hiding their signs so we only recognized them by the shape of their buildings. No traffic lights anywhere.
* The roads were so dangerously clogged with snow, it was touch-and-go just getting through without becoming stuck. We didn’t dare go any further.
* Made it back home to an even colder house. In the waning daylight, we were now in almost total darkness (flashlights and small battery operated lanterns only).
* The weather report we’d just heard on our car radio said that temperatures were about to “plummet to the single digits” overnight. Our hearts sank. A second night with no heat? 🙁
* Inside our home, the thermostat was hovering in the high 40’s – and it was only 5 p.m. We couldn’t imagine how much further that would drop during the wee hours when it would be near zero outside.
* Figured our only chance to get through the night in an unheated house would be to spend short spurts of time sitting in our car with the heat on – staying there just long enough to thaw ourselves, then back into the house to brave the temps for another hour or two, and then repeat the process. I’ll tell ya, kids, it was feeling pretty scary about that time. All I kept thinking was: This must be what it’s like to sleep in a snowbank.
* Suddenly, a neighbor appeared. He told us they had a whole house generator and it was toasty warm there. He said his wife had just made a fresh crock of chicken soup and his daughter had made apple muffins. He INSISTED we go with him right away. When we arrived, they said we must sleep there, as well. Normally, we would never want to impose, but they were so sincere and simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. Heaven bless them!!!
* After a warm sleep and pancake breakfast, we thanked them from the very bottom of our hearts… and headed home. It was 9:00 a.m.and the outside temperature was 1 degree below zero. When we opened the door of our home – the thermostat read 38 degrees!
I don’t know how we ever could have slept there…
* We spent Sunday afternoon looking for stores that were open – just to have some warm shelter. As the day progressed, the sun was out strong and it began to feel much warmer outside than it had been in our house!
* We returned home from the stores around 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening. The solar effect had warmed up the house during the daylight hours – so the inside temperature had risen to 46 degrees. Let me tell ya though – it is amazing how cold that feels when you are inside a house! We’d heard on the car radio that the power *might* return by midnight.
*It did… actually, a few hours before that. The heat came on but it would be many, many, hours before we could take off our coats and hats and scarves – never mind get into a hot shower.
*This morning we woke up to a comfortable house and made a hot breakfast. Pure balm for what had been ailing us.
*There’s a refrigerator to deal with – have to sort the food that’s ok from that which could be questionable. We go by the old saying: “When in doubt – throw it out.” I don’t think we could handle tummy aches at this point.
* I know once my bones stop aching (from holding them so stiff while shivering), that I will have a better perspective on the positives of this experience. Right now, I’m just too exhausted to think of them….
Love you Kids!
Hug somebody you love for me, today, ok?
