Back On

Life here at Chez Chili has returned to normal.  The power lines which were rudely and unceremoniously ripped from the side of the house on Friday morning have been put up and the magic necessary for wonders to travel through those lines has been conjured; we again have full and unfettered access to power, phone, internet, and cable.

In the grand scheme of things, we suffered very little.  The weather was cold enough that the garage and front steps acted as a refrigerator and freezer, respectively, so we didn’t lose that much food.  None of our pipes even came close to getting cold enough to burst, thanks to Mr. Chili’s working wonders with a monster generator boosted (with permission) from one of his projects at work.  The thing was terribly fussy (it’s carbureted and was filled with old gas, so there was much backfiring and sputtering – I feel the need to bake goodies for my neighbors by way of apology for all the racket in the dead of three nights), but he managed to get it happy enough to run the heat pumps for our gas-fired furnace.  The house never got below about 58° all weekend.

I’m insanely grateful that I ask for candles every Christmas, but that I don’t burn them terribly regularly.  I had more than enough wax and wicks to keep us sufficiently lighted for things like teeth-brushing and not walking into walls.  While there wasn’t much to do, we all managed to get through the weekend without much trauma.  Even after three days of cold and dark (and no t.v. and no internet and no…) we still like each other.

There are still significant numbers of my fellow citizens who are without power.  The state is still in an official “state of emergency”  There are, of course, rumors flying wildly about how long it will be before the state is back up and running, but the most reliable source I encountered thus far today has said that it could be as late as Friday before some people in what are considered populated areas are expected to be back online.  Those who live in more remote communities are being advised to seek the shelters being run by the Red Cross because they may be out of power for even longer.  The girls are out of school today – and will likely be out again tomorrow – as a consequence of the number of people without power.  In fact, some of the schools are being used as shelters.

I still have stories to tell about the adventures (wait until I tell of my encounters with angry, sleep-deprived, and unwashed people in the camping goods aisle at Wal-M*rt!), but I’ve got work to do, so I’m closing here.  Thank you again for all your warm thoughts and good wishes, especially to those of you who texted me with your concerns.  You all made me feel well loved, and I’m just as grateful for that as I am for the fact that my lights are back on.