The Dark Side

Just in case you miss me, I've gone to the Dark Side.  Our power went off during the night Wednesday night with the high winds.  Thursday morning, I drove Ari and Scott to the airport for Ari's Ten Year Old Trip.  We drove past dozens of semis lining the freeway, many of them overturned, winds threatening to push our car off the road.  At the airport, however, the winds were calm, flights were on time and the travellers left without a hitch.  I thought I would drive home and resume my busy weekend, but things never went back to normal.

Everyone on our street lost trees, fences, shingles, garbage cans.  Our power is still off four days later.  We've been instructed to turn off our water because of freezing temps.  The first night it was nine o'clock before all the kids and I were home from ballet and teaching, and I was too tired to do anything but hunker down under lots of quilts.  The next day, school was cancelled again and we couldn't stay at home. It was too cold.  Fortunately, between our regularly scheduled lives and foraging for food  (read:  multiple meals at Mandarin Palace), we were out and about until late, at which time Golda, Ruby, Freestone and Xanthe went to Ryan and Jennie's to stay the night and Ptolemy and I had our own sleepover at the violin shop.  Poor kid went right down, he was so exhausted, and I quickly followed suit.  We have sweet digs at the shop.  A playroom, a futon, bathrooms, a fridge and the whole law firm upstairs, complete with more fridges, a fireplace and a Christmas tree.  It's cozy.

Saturday we were up early teaching, going to ballet, driving to flute, getting ready for a birthday party and my niece's baptism and trying out my first crock pot meal at the violin shop.  Jennie, bless her, did my beans for the baptism at her house, while the sweet pork for my party tonight turned out fine in the shop crock pot.  It's harrowing trying to run your life with no power and no home base.  Other people around us have power, so it's not like things stop.  Tonight was my high school friends' Christmas party, one of the most anticipated nights of the year.  Everything fell into place with Ruby and Tolly hanging out at the shop/law office with Coco and Bill and the other three imposing on Uncle Ryan. 

I was free to enjoy several hours of my friends' company without the whir or chainsaws and generators that has been ever-present the past few days, and it was heavenly.  The landscape is truly changed, with grand, old trees missing and ten-foot-high mounds of branches lining the curb in virtually every yard.  My neighbors have all worked hard to help each other.  Sadly, I did nothing to contribute to the effort outside of keeping my own kids fed, warm and on time for everything, but I feel good about my efforts.  Throughout the continuing ordeal, I have felt more patience than I would have expected, and a feeling of gratitude that we didn't sustain damage and that everyone around me is safe.  We'll see if my patience and gratitude starts to wane as we go into the work week without a warm home. 

Later, we'll talk about how woefully unprepared we were for this disaster, right down to my phone battery being almost dead and the car being on empty.  Freestone had even run down the flashlight battery the very night before, just reading in bed.  His ceiling light "hurt his eyes."  Right now, though, I have to get some sleep.  We only have one hour of church tomorrow, so I have to come up with three hot meals and 15 hours of warm activities outside of our home for five kids.  I'm so glad we have the office as well as friends and family lined up with offers to help.  You're all on the list!  Get those guest bedrooms ready!  :)