we have power again!
we just went through about 36 hours of no power due to a strong windstorm. that makes us the lucky ones. still have more than 500,000 homes without power with some not likely to be restored for up to seven days. this includes shopping areas, too. it's not pretty.
i spent the day at work downtown (they have power). left early to come home and clean up the yard. only lost a few shingles from our shed roof. our maple tree in the back lost several large limbs (up to 3 in around), but the tree is still intact. took jesse and i about an hour to finish up the work he started earlier in the day. we now have some nice firewood!
shopping for food and gasoline was a bit more interesting. local stores near us are open, but have no dairy, meat or frozen foods. most shelves are cleared out. others, like the frozen food section, are blocked off w/ yellow tape - like a crime scene. creepy. i was able to get dry goods and fruit; some personal items, too. struck out on yogurt, eggs, and frozen foods. store clerk tells me it might be three days before they get another delivery.
i drove several miles before i found a gas station that was both open *and* pumping petrol. price here is now 4.15 USD. not the worst, but close to .50 USD more than it was the day before the storm [sigh]. i was able to top off my car then drove home and took the other family car out for the same treatment. we have two full tanks. food in a working fridge. and can now run our water distiller again.
lots of places i drove this evening were completely dark. very unsettling. and this is surely nothing compared to the problems down south in Texas. our thoughts are with the 500,000+ here in the midwest and the millions down south. hang in there.