How we stay warm during the power outage.

Email from the "front"
Sent: 12/15/06 9:24 AM
from my Windows Mobile device (pocket PC)

I got caught in the flash flood last night at West Marginal and Highland Park Way. I managed to get the car home but probably should have left it somewhere since the water level has damaged it. It sounds like a thrown rod or a bent valve. I was going to have it towed somewere today but the news I saw last night showed so many stranded cars needing tows I will wait until tomorrow. I will need to rent a car until I can get it fixed. I am very sad about it but I really had no options with the traffic and not being able to turn around and park it somewhere else and walk home.

So the wind, strong all night, did kick up a few notches when we went to bed around 11 pm. It was hard to goto sleep but I was so tired. I woke up at 12:30 am because the dog door was banging in and out (the dog had refused to go out earlier - she hates wind more than rain.) I was going down the stairs to the back door to send her outside in a jacket when the power went out. It is still out this morning.

I stayed up and sat for awhile and watched the sky from the living room. With the street lights out I could see stars in between the clouds roaring by. The noise was so loud, I found it impossible to sleep.

I went back to bed because I got scared sitting in the living room. I was right in line with the cedar tree outside the dingin room window and I have a very active imagination.

About 2 am we were awakened by another crash-much louder than earlier ones. I was sleeping in my clothes and shoes but Steve had to put on his robe to investigate. We prowled all around the house shining flashlights out the windows to see what it was. We finally discovered the massive cedar tree in the backyard had split and come down in the vicinity of the shed. We snuck out to see but there was so much tree it was hard to see how far it extended.

Now that the worse had happened I went back to bed and slept.

I woke up at 4 am and the wind had lessened in ferocity. I unlocked the dog door and Sophia took a trip outside. This time I got undressed and went to bed.

We got up around 8:30 am and Steve went out to check the damage. We are very lucky. Part of the tree is resting on the shed but does not appear to have damaged it. Part of the old fence between us and the house next door got smashed but Steve says Sophia can not get out. Unfortunately the tree clipped the neighbors house and took off a corner of their roof. Hopefully no one was sleeping in that room. Steve says it looks open to the sky. He is calling our insurance agent now to talk about the car and the tree.

So the kitchen is a lot brighter this morning. I hope we don't have to take the rest of the tree down. It `makes` our place and is the reason we bought the house. We have lost a lot of our summertime shade. Also, both plum trees, where we hang our hammock during the summer, have been so heavily damaged they will need to be removed.

Well my thumbs have gotten a workout typing this on my mobile device. The wood stove is perking along and it is warm here and I am going to cook breakfast soon. We have a pot of water hot for tea and coffee.