Journal bethanie's Journal: Ice, Ice Baby 9
Or Things To Do In An Ice Storm When The Power Is Out
Well, a little after midnight last night the freezing rain kicked in. And somewhere between 3 am and 5 am, the power kicked out. It *always* does in the ice, and if you've ever been in NE Georgia, you'll know why -- there are trees EVERYwhere. And since I live in the country, you can double that.
Anyway, Hubby had to go into work late today, to give the neighborhood groundskeeper guy a chance to clear the 3 trees that had fallen across the one mile of road that goes in & out of our development.
Squirt started stirring around 10:30 (thank goodness for battery-operated alarm clocks!!) so we got up and I kinda got my bearings. I went out and refilled our firewood cart (when it's warm, it's a garden cart -- when it's cold, it holds a ready supply of firewood so it will be dry and ready when we need it). Hubby usually takes care of that, but he's been out of comission for stuff like that since Friday, so I got to do it myself (as I've done with all the OTHER stuff he's been out of commission for...).
Wet, icy firewood is NOT the greatest fuel, but we had just two dry sticks that I used to get it started with the help of our gas starter (you GOTTA have gas/propane in the country, I tell ya!), and then I propped up a couple of the wet ones next to the fire to dry off. May seem like a no-brainer, but as a simple suburban girl whose family only ever had fires when she was growing up because they "looked pretty" (my parents would build a bonfire in the fireplace and turn on the air conditioning), I think that any common sense about the functional & practical uses of fire show utter brilliance on my part!! :-)
So I got a good fire going and decided to make cast iron skillet pancakes, just like I do when we go camping. Hot cast iron, a bit of butter, and pour in the batter. A bit of maple syrup when they're done and Mmmm... *just* the thing for an icy, chilly morning.
After some breakfast, I kinda cast around for something else I could do, and resolved that I would tackle the week's worth of laundry I had washed but hadn't yet folded. (Damn if it's not tricky to figure out what to do when the power's out -- Kiddo and I were discussing what an important invention electricity was, and how much we had incorporated its use into our lives.)
Well, that took maybe an hour and by the time I was done, I realized that there was NO way I was gonna stay cooped up in the house all day with the kids and no juice. I mean, I *could* if I had to, but I DIDN'T -- so I bundled us all up into the car... and promptly realized I was almost out of gas.
I was a bit worried about finding a gas station that had power (because you can't pump gas without power, of course!), but all our local fueling stations were mostly operational. I say mostly because the one I ended up at was still having trouble getting their pumps to reset (I think that people were ignoring the "Please Pre-Pay" signs that they had posted on every pump).
It was something of a zoo -- more crowded than I'd ever seen it -- and when I went inside to give them my credit card, I was just the tiniest bit concerned about what might happen if people started thinking they couldn't get their gas -- the natives were pretty damn restless. I mean, we've all seen the riots and stuff of people in crises... I always thought that I'd just be smart and avoid those kinds of scenes altogether. But sometimes you just find yourself there...
I was out pumping my gas when a cop car pulled in to the station... and I was amazed at the feeling of relief and security that washed over me. I felt like just this cop car's *presence* there was going to be all it would take to keep things from getting ugly. And when I saw the cop inside when I was paying, I told him as much, thanked him, and wished him a Merry Christmas (which is totally OK to do around here).
I felt the same kind of gratitude towards the cop directing traffic at a busy intersection once we got into town.
I am totally humbled by these men (and women) who put themselves out on days like this, in the freezing cold and wet, to make *my* life safer and more comfortable. I mean, who the fuck am *I* to deserve this kind of service? Military servicemen, cops, firefighters, the guys who work for the utility company... These people all get such a bad rap when we're not happy about things, but when it comes time to put the rubber to the road, they're the ones getting the job done. I have the utmost admiration for them, and am going to make sure to take the opportunity as often as I can to express my gratitude to them.
There's something about really bad weather that really makes my spirits soar. I *really* love snow and ice. Although they're pretty hazardous and can be a real pain in the ass, there's something invigorating and life-affirming about wearing a big smile with your teeth chattering.
And it's absolutely visually stunning. Driving down the highway, you see just how beautiful and brutal the ice is -- every tiny branch and leaf is sheathed in crystal, every detail stands out. And every tree is sagging from the weight. The raw, ragged wounds of the trees that have snapped remind me of the cycle of life, and the immutable law of nature -- that only the strongest survive. Why is it a characteristic of humanity that we try to defy that rule? Does it really do us any favors? What would happen if we let nature take its course unimpeded? It would be cruel, to be sure... but would it be any less cruel than what we already have? What's worse -- skeptical determination or shattered hope?
In the meantime, I'm camped out at the Atlanta Bread Company at the Mall of Georgia with free WiFi, endless soda refills, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer playing in another window (quietly) to entertain the kids. From here, we'll probably go across the way and I'll let them romp around in the Mall's play area for a while, and I'll crochet a hat for Squirt (I can't find any of Kiddo's old ones).
After that, who knows -- I'll probably call my neighbor back home to get a status report. I might take the kids to a movie or something... Anything to keep from having to go back home to a cold, dark house before I absolutely have to.
Hope y'all are safe & warm wherever you are. :-)
Well, a little after midnight last night the freezing rain kicked in. And somewhere between 3 am and 5 am, the power kicked out. It *always* does in the ice, and if you've ever been in NE Georgia, you'll know why -- there are trees EVERYwhere. And since I live in the country, you can double that.
Anyway, Hubby had to go into work late today, to give the neighborhood groundskeeper guy a chance to clear the 3 trees that had fallen across the one mile of road that goes in & out of our development.
Squirt started stirring around 10:30 (thank goodness for battery-operated alarm clocks!!) so we got up and I kinda got my bearings. I went out and refilled our firewood cart (when it's warm, it's a garden cart -- when it's cold, it holds a ready supply of firewood so it will be dry and ready when we need it). Hubby usually takes care of that, but he's been out of comission for stuff like that since Friday, so I got to do it myself (as I've done with all the OTHER stuff he's been out of commission for...).
Wet, icy firewood is NOT the greatest fuel, but we had just two dry sticks that I used to get it started with the help of our gas starter (you GOTTA have gas/propane in the country, I tell ya!), and then I propped up a couple of the wet ones next to the fire to dry off. May seem like a no-brainer, but as a simple suburban girl whose family only ever had fires when she was growing up because they "looked pretty" (my parents would build a bonfire in the fireplace and turn on the air conditioning), I think that any common sense about the functional & practical uses of fire show utter brilliance on my part!!
So I got a good fire going and decided to make cast iron skillet pancakes, just like I do when we go camping. Hot cast iron, a bit of butter, and pour in the batter. A bit of maple syrup when they're done and Mmmm... *just* the thing for an icy, chilly morning.
After some breakfast, I kinda cast around for something else I could do, and resolved that I would tackle the week's worth of laundry I had washed but hadn't yet folded. (Damn if it's not tricky to figure out what to do when the power's out -- Kiddo and I were discussing what an important invention electricity was, and how much we had incorporated its use into our lives.)
Well, that took maybe an hour and by the time I was done, I realized that there was NO way I was gonna stay cooped up in the house all day with the kids and no juice. I mean, I *could* if I had to, but I DIDN'T -- so I bundled us all up into the car... and promptly realized I was almost out of gas.
I was a bit worried about finding a gas station that had power (because you can't pump gas without power, of course!), but all our local fueling stations were mostly operational. I say mostly because the one I ended up at was still having trouble getting their pumps to reset (I think that people were ignoring the "Please Pre-Pay" signs that they had posted on every pump).
It was something of a zoo -- more crowded than I'd ever seen it -- and when I went inside to give them my credit card, I was just the tiniest bit concerned about what might happen if people started thinking they couldn't get their gas -- the natives were pretty damn restless. I mean, we've all seen the riots and stuff of people in crises... I always thought that I'd just be smart and avoid those kinds of scenes altogether. But sometimes you just find yourself there...
I was out pumping my gas when a cop car pulled in to the station... and I was amazed at the feeling of relief and security that washed over me. I felt like just this cop car's *presence* there was going to be all it would take to keep things from getting ugly. And when I saw the cop inside when I was paying, I told him as much, thanked him, and wished him a Merry Christmas (which is totally OK to do around here).
I felt the same kind of gratitude towards the cop directing traffic at a busy intersection once we got into town.
I am totally humbled by these men (and women) who put themselves out on days like this, in the freezing cold and wet, to make *my* life safer and more comfortable. I mean, who the fuck am *I* to deserve this kind of service? Military servicemen, cops, firefighters, the guys who work for the utility company... These people all get such a bad rap when we're not happy about things, but when it comes time to put the rubber to the road, they're the ones getting the job done. I have the utmost admiration for them, and am going to make sure to take the opportunity as often as I can to express my gratitude to them.
There's something about really bad weather that really makes my spirits soar. I *really* love snow and ice. Although they're pretty hazardous and can be a real pain in the ass, there's something invigorating and life-affirming about wearing a big smile with your teeth chattering.
And it's absolutely visually stunning. Driving down the highway, you see just how beautiful and brutal the ice is -- every tiny branch and leaf is sheathed in crystal, every detail stands out. And every tree is sagging from the weight. The raw, ragged wounds of the trees that have snapped remind me of the cycle of life, and the immutable law of nature -- that only the strongest survive. Why is it a characteristic of humanity that we try to defy that rule? Does it really do us any favors? What would happen if we let nature take its course unimpeded? It would be cruel, to be sure... but would it be any less cruel than what we already have? What's worse -- skeptical determination or shattered hope?
In the meantime, I'm camped out at the Atlanta Bread Company at the Mall of Georgia with free WiFi, endless soda refills, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer playing in another window (quietly) to entertain the kids. From here, we'll probably go across the way and I'll let them romp around in the Mall's play area for a while, and I'll crochet a hat for Squirt (I can't find any of Kiddo's old ones).
After that, who knows -- I'll probably call my neighbor back home to get a status report. I might take the kids to a movie or something... Anything to keep from having to go back home to a cold, dark house before I absolutely have to.
Hope y'all are safe & warm wherever you are.
I'm not! (Score:1)
This is WAAAY offtopic (Score:3, Funny)
I just think you will laugh yourself to DEATH over this little link:
"http://www.comeallyefaithful.co.uk/"
Not worksafe or kidsafe or anyone-who-has-no-sense-of-humour-about-sex-safe.
Enjoy,
Pix
Re:This is WAAAY offtopic (Score:2)
here's an actual link [comeallyefaithful.co.uk]
Pix
Damn. (Score:2)
Two Days in Miami (Score:1)
Bah.
Humbug.
Send a wave... (Score:2, Interesting)
Cold Winter?? (Score:2)
I have a question for you. Isn't it odd to have serious ice problems right now? I'm not sure, but it seemed a bit odd to me. Is this normal for this time of year?
Re:Cold Winter?? (Score:1)
As one who was raised in the south, and in Georgia specifically -- it's normal. More or less. Like a big snow storm, but more annoying because all the trees get heavy with ice, and the roads instantly ice. And you can't build 'ice-men'.
It's kinda like extreme thunderstorms in the summer. Not a huge deal when it happens, but it doesn't happen all summer.
Re:Cold Winter?? (Score:2)
Oh, ok..
I was raised in Florida. It was a rare event that there was any significant amount of ice. I remember when I was a kid, they effectively shut down the city of Ocala, because the temperatures dropped way down, and the bridges were iced over. I think I saw snow two or three times in about 20 years, and even then, it wasn't enough to do more than leave a hint of white anywhere, and only for a short time.
I went to Alaska a few weeks ago, and saw real sno