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| The day before the BIG storm |
The ice storm that was predicted
came with a vengeance!
We heard the wind and rain during the night
and woke to a chilly and dark house
on Friday morning.
A quick call to Hydro One revealed that
power would be off till 11 p.m.
I made the decision to go to work
if the roads were O.K. and if there was power there.
Off I went, unshowered, with a quick
face wash and a bit of make-up.
I was shocked as I drove out the lane,
dodging fallen branches, there and on
the roads ahead – such devastation!
I worked all day not thinking much
about the
power that we all depend on at home.
I knew
I knew
that we had a good woodstove to warm the
house and lots of candles for soft lighting.
Sounds romantic until you find out that the power
could be off for an additional 48-72 hours!
By now the temperature had come above freezing
and the ice was falling off the bent and stressed limbs
in large dangerous chunks.
in large dangerous chunks.
Branches were broken down everywhere
and hydro poles had fallen by the
hundreds.
That’s when survival mode kicks in.
What will happen with the food in the freezer?
Much less the refrigerator??
We unloaded the fridge into large plastic bins
and set them out onto the cold deck,
piled layers of newspaper on the frozen food
in the freezer and hoped for the best.
By now there was no water so
a plastic barrel was quickly placed under
the eaves trough spout to catch some of
the falling rain water – we were camping!
I have to admit that I was bewildered
and getting
very grumpy – it’s crazy how much we depend on hydro
for almost everything – even one’s happiness!
Not to mention cleanliness……
Thank goodness that Wellesley had
power and
I was able to go to my sister’s and have a shower.
We also borrowed their generator and cooled
down the fridge and the freezer.
Thanks Evelyn and Richard!
Lessons learned – purchase a generator soon
- water is
precious
- stay calm
and carry on
- bodum coffee is very good
- chicken soup heated on the woodstove is delicious
- many people are worse off than we are
- be thankful!
12:30 p.m. Sunday - back on the grid - hurray!
Till next time ....... the mailbox needed to be replaced and the freezer needed to be defrosted and cleaned sometime anyways!
Oh I am so sorry about all the trouble and the devastation. The trees will never be the same again. Lessons learned are good. Sending a gentle hug...wish I could pour you a cup of tea and share shortbread cookies.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I've never experienced an ice storm. Amazing what the weight of it can do to branches, etc. Glad you finally have your power back. We really are dependent...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your sister had power and you could have a shower and borrow their generator. We go back and forth about getting one...
What a powerful force nature canbe. Glad you survived. Guess we all need to be more prepared.
ReplyDeleteWow. Rosella. I was a bit surprised when I had not heard from Graf Martin Publicist in the morning like I usually do and soon discovered why. I am so glad you are back on the grid and hope that this episode is the very last of your winter!!
ReplyDeleteYou've been through it all. It's hard to imagine not having power for 72 hours....what about your animals? Anyways...I too was wondering about all your food in the freezer...but looks like you applied a common sense skill and problem solved...That's the true heart of a country gal. Hope the sun shines soon.
ReplyDeleteI hate ice storms...we had a horrible one two winters ago..over an inch of ice on our drive. Glad you survived...but such an inconvenience. Things like that do make you count your blessings.
ReplyDeleteI felt chilled to the bone reading this. So glad you had a wood burning stove though and yes bodum coffee is delicious :) I guess I would have to admit that I would take our seemingly unending snow over your ice storm. Hope things thaw out soon in both our worlds!
ReplyDeleteOh....so sorry to hear about this all. So much clean up too. As long as you are all safe. Glad you were able to get to your sisters place. Hope this is it for the season and the friendlier weather greets you soon.
ReplyDeleteOh....so sorry to hear about this all. So much clean up too. As long as you are all safe. Glad you were able to get to your sisters place. Hope this is it for the season and the friendlier weather greets you soon.
ReplyDeleteSorry about all the havoc. Your positive attitude is encouraging!
ReplyDeleteWow! This is a winter you will always remember like the one we do when our whole family slept in the Living room bundled up in front of the gas stove. Some peoples toilet water froze! Oh.. glad it's over! One sure realizes quickly how much we depend on power.
ReplyDelete