Isn't it romantic. . . maybe not

My grandmother would have said that God was telling us we needed to slow down. Cynical, however, might have a different perspective.

Here's the scoop, winds over 75 mph hit our town yesterday, beating us for over 2 hours straight, changing direction. This combination took out lots of trees, downed power lines and did considerable damage. (We are safe and sound.)

And. . . over 75 percent of our community was without power (I think it's now down to 50 percent). Of course we are in that 75 percent. And we probably won't have power until Wednesday evening. Not complaining, given what the hurricane stricken areas are facing, just letting you know our own little dilemma, which pales in comparison.

So, we've done a bit of improvising. I worked most of the day yesterday. Cynical and I did some tidying up of tree limbs and leaves. That kept us busy for a bit. Then night set in. We managed that pretty well, digging out lanterns, finding a small battery radio and digging out a wind-up alarm clock. We also had to find a telephone that didn't require power. A simple thing, but frustrating none-the-less. I feel "tethered to the wall" now whenever it rings, unable to roam through the house as I gab.

Our neighbors congregated next door for some margaritas and everyone seems to be making the best of it.

This morning wasn't too bad, as I quickly showered knowing our electric hot water heater would empty soon. I even put my make-up on by lantern light. I twisted my wet hair up and made the best of it.

I'm back at work. Cynical is working happily at a local restaurant that features wi-fi. Our food, however, is melting as we speak in our warm refrigerator. Can't buy ice, there are 12,000 other people looking for ice. And speaking of ice, I expect my next shower to be a cold one.

One night in the dark was peaceful, caused us to reflect a bit and did make us slow down. However, another night without internet access, television or even a refrigerator is a lot less romantic. Maybe we'll spend it tossing thawed chicken, spoiled milk and nasty yogurt.