We still don’t have internet and all, but I’ve still been writing nonetheless – sometimes with my laptop, but mostly with pen and paper.  I’m going to try to explain where it is I’ve been and recap things for you.  And, since I’m borrowing internet, I plan to type everything and then copy and paste – so, some of this stuff may end up being auto-posted a couple of days at a time just in case there are days I can’t get online.  That’s all.  As you were.

Tuesday.  January Twenty-Seventh Two Thousand and Nine.

We hadn’t really taken the warnings of possible and likely severe weather too seriously – despite the fact that even Jim Cantorre had come to our city to report.  We figured it’d just pass on over like it always did, after all an ice storm of the magnitude they were calling for would be monumental.  Historical, even.  Nonetheless, emails warning each other of the “possibility” were forwarded around and families made their way out to the supermarkets.  While some ravenously raided the stores for batteries, canned goods, bottled water, and whatever else they could get ahold of – others just prepared for a few days of icy roads and went about their normal grocery shopping (perhaps picking up a few extra food items, you know…just in case).  Some of us – okay, me – even asked their husbans to stay in town so if the city fell apart, at least they’d be together with their daughter (and the husband valiantly refused so he could traipse through it all to get to work).

Early the next morning, everything seemed pretty clear.  The roads were a bit icy, but not too bad, and a blanket of snow covered the ground.  Businesses were still open and most workplaces were expecting their employees in.  So far, it seemed like we’d missed the brunt of it but they were expecting more snow and ice throughout the day.

Then, the power went off.

Businesses began closing and grocery stores and gas stations were flooded with concerned buyers, while others rushed home trying to get out of havoc before it became unmanageable.

While some gas stations and groceries still had power for a bit, many couldn’t operate.

As the day progressed, more snow and ice fell – and accumulated.  Power line poles began bending under the pressure as their lines sagged down under strings of icicles.  Tree limbs and entire sections of trees popped and cracked under the heavy weight of the ice and began falling across roads, homes, and anything else in their paths of destruction.

Many of the local residents were fairly hopeful that power would be back on by that evening, and when it wasn’t, people began to get worried.  Homes chilled quickly and so it seems our minds did, too.  Most of us had either lived through “hard times” of days gone by without power or had at least been camping – and yet, we were paralyzed.

For us, the choice was pretty easy.  Lorelei and I were already with my parents – which was a blessing since being at our residence would’ve meant no access to a vehicle and in the middle of a tree-filled nowhere.  Had we not been worried about how Lorelei would be affected by the cold, we’d probably have just snuggled under comforters in my parents’ extra beds, but instead we headed to my Grams’ house next door.  Quilts, fleece blankets, candles, flash lights, matches, pillows, and a queen mattress were pulled out of extra bedrooms as doors were shut behind us in an attempt to trap any remaining heat inside.  As darkness approached, we collected jars and tea mugs and gently placed narrow lit candles inside their mouths.  Fortunately, Grams also had a gas line run to her house and had made the choice to buy a gas/electric cooking stove when she last updated her appliances.  We wouldn’t be able to do much with the oven/stove but the “eyes” could be lit by hand and we planned to boil water on and off during the days and nights for extra warmth.  The water heater, thankfully, was also gas – meaning we’d be blessed with hot water as we needed it.

Our outfits were almost laughable as we borrowed from each other the thickest socks and sweaters and pants we could find, paying no attention to whether they really fit or not, much less the not-so-stylishness of it all.  Layer over layer of sweatshirts and long-sleeves and pants and socks (and even nightgowns) then wrapped in blankets (Lorelei wore long sleeves/pants and socks under a thick footed sleeper and a jacket) as we huddled together in the main room.  Outside, the air was eerily silent except for the chilling sound of trees and limbs cracking and then falling.  The sounds echoed throughout the night air and it was almost beautiful – or, it would have been had we not been worried about the proximity of the trees and poles to us and our homes.

That night, as we bundled up and found a soft spot to sleep, I pulled Lorelei close to me on the mattress.  Unfortunately, she had a different idea – something along the lines of trampolines and bounce houses.  It was cold and a new situation and we’d all decided to turn in rather early once the sun had went down, leaving nothing more than flickers of light from the candles.  Mom and I laid quietly, hoping that if we pretended to sleep long enough or were quiet enough maybe she’d just follow suit.  Instead, she called our names relentlessly as she bent over my face, trying to stick her fingers in my eyes and nose to see if I was awake (and if not, to wake me up).  It was time to play!  Except it wasn’t.

Welcome back!