Iced In

Hi all,

So, last Sunday evening we had a nice huge ice storm that Schmee and I got to drive home in from her parent's house. Trees were so weighted down with ice that several came down low enough to hit the car, one was even swaying back in forth in the lane and we had to dodge it in a maneuver vaguely reminiscent of a video racing game. We made it home shortly after 11, and I was just going to bed when the power flickered several times and went out. Starting around noon the next day, we got a generator, which was our only source of power until about 5:00 Wednesday evening.

So, that was an adventure. I was worried constantly about the Co-op. Apparently we used to have a generator strong enough to run the fridge and freezers, but last time a house's generator broke and so it went to the house. But they never got a new one....so the whole time I was freaking out that we'd lose a couple thousand dollars worth of food. So that was a huge relief that temps stayed OK. Not ideal, but ok to prevent food spoilage. We also had to cancel the Carnival celebration, as there weren't enough generators/good enough planning to heat the hall. :  (

We had moments of humor waiting for power, Schmee had some good quotes from both then and the previous week. The previous week, during cooking for a villager's birthday, she asked if we couldn't just bake the hamburgers. Apparently my face gave her the answer. A few days ago she asked "How do we give the cat a bath? You know, for when she gets really dirty..." Have I mentioned that she's only ever had a dog? She carts the cat around (who mostly tolerates it), and treats it pretty much like a dog, but she's learning - one bite at a time... That was a fun conversation, though.

We also had a profoundly sad moment. A special co-worker (son of a longterm coworker who never left the community, he'd been here for over 30 years...), passed away completely unexpectedly...apparently a aorta aneurysm. Obviously it's a huge blow for the community, and devastating for his mother. We'll all be attending the funeral tomorrow.

Anyhow, I think that's about it for now.

Hope all is well,
Steph