we are ok............
hey folks....i know a lot of yall have been trying to get in touch with us during this crazy ice storm action......but theres been no phones....and theres still no power. (though strangely enough, here i sit in the booth at work having not taken a shower in DAYS because the show goes on)
the storm was so fierce that lea and i scarcely slept the first two nights...limbs laden with ice came crashing down; first sounding like rifle shots, then as the night wore on and a dark like i have never seen surrounded us,it sounded like cannons going off. every thing that hit lea and i would say..."that didnt sound good" and worried that the maple or the oak tree had gone crashing through momma and pops house. it was the most helpless ive ever felt.
the day after, lea and i walked tentatively around the farm....limbs still crashing down...to find that remarkably enough, the oak tree had missed pops old cars (!!! i know right???) had only hit the back of the shop, and the maple limbs that fell on momma and pops house did not punch a hole through the roof, though their power line to the house was down. i cried as i walked around the little orchard....we lost the apple tree and a walnut (they were completely uprooted) and the pear trees are hanging on by a thread. trees id planted with pop in my childhood that momma has made so many preserves from are gone. it looks like the set of a war movie here....the tops of what trees are standing look like they have taken mortar fire.
we are hoping now that all the freezers on the farm hold (as it is still cold) but if not, we are losing a lot of the harvest.....but again...thats ok....we canned SO much and the well house didnt get limb one on it....so we have food. we have heat at our house from a kerosene heater..and even though i fought frozen pipes yesterday while lea was at work....it was all sorted by the time she got home. (by the way.....spaghetti-os heated on top of a kerosene heater is a fine snack!)
we have been able to make fabulous meals at mommas and pops due to the woodstove, our old camping stove, a grill...and of course the bar-b-q is still good....even in winter!!!! last night we were making a last ditch effort to cook a lot of stuff before it ruined....so we had a fine feast of barbeque ....potatoes, squash, ribs, steak and salmon. as i was grilling, a wayward skunk came right up to me....i sacrificed some salmon to it and away it went happily chewing. everybodys gotta eat right??
weve played more uno at momma and pops than i think i did in all my childhood...and really....we have it better than most of the city folks that dont can their own food, or have an independant heat source for warmth and such. pop went out and managed to get a generator last night that wasnt 2 thousand dollars or more and we at least got the freezer on the back porch saved....mostly.
the lines for gas and kerosene are insane here....and not a lot is open....but we are hoping to get all the city up and going by tuesday....hopefully we will have power on the farm by wednesday...when we are expecting high winds. (sigh) its supposed to snow again today, but ive not much faith in that forecast.... i just dont think we will get it any more....but at least the ice has melted from the trees and they arent splitting anymore.
really....we are a plucky little town...and yes...there have been people acting the fool...stealing generators, looting and having fights in long gas lines....but we are by and large ok. the national guard is here, lots of electric companys have come up to help out...and there have only been 7 deaths....it could have been SO much worse. by ten oclock the first morning obama had called in fema and we were on our way to ok. (mags can now make a shirt that says OBAMA CARES ABOUT KY....heh) while we are all sceptical about fema, we are pretty good at taking care of our own....but if fema has an extra chainsaw they can bring it on!
i told lea and momma yesterday that we need the saw crew...id love to see sandy and kubby tear it up!
today after the church clears out of the theatre, we are going to get ready for sweeney todd on tuesday, then we are all gathering to watch the superbowl....because none of us has power at home. also, we can do a load of laundry here and take a (much needed) shower. the cell phones are working now, and mine is charging here in the booth.....so ill call everybody back that called soon as i can.
when theres not so much to do....ill try to absorb this all. but...its going to be all right.
theres that yall
more later
justajenn
for pictures and just plain curiousity.....the link to our local newsstation:
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/default.aspx
the storm was so fierce that lea and i scarcely slept the first two nights...limbs laden with ice came crashing down; first sounding like rifle shots, then as the night wore on and a dark like i have never seen surrounded us,it sounded like cannons going off. every thing that hit lea and i would say..."that didnt sound good" and worried that the maple or the oak tree had gone crashing through momma and pops house. it was the most helpless ive ever felt.
the day after, lea and i walked tentatively around the farm....limbs still crashing down...to find that remarkably enough, the oak tree had missed pops old cars (!!! i know right???) had only hit the back of the shop, and the maple limbs that fell on momma and pops house did not punch a hole through the roof, though their power line to the house was down. i cried as i walked around the little orchard....we lost the apple tree and a walnut (they were completely uprooted) and the pear trees are hanging on by a thread. trees id planted with pop in my childhood that momma has made so many preserves from are gone. it looks like the set of a war movie here....the tops of what trees are standing look like they have taken mortar fire.
we are hoping now that all the freezers on the farm hold (as it is still cold) but if not, we are losing a lot of the harvest.....but again...thats ok....we canned SO much and the well house didnt get limb one on it....so we have food. we have heat at our house from a kerosene heater..and even though i fought frozen pipes yesterday while lea was at work....it was all sorted by the time she got home. (by the way.....spaghetti-os heated on top of a kerosene heater is a fine snack!)
we have been able to make fabulous meals at mommas and pops due to the woodstove, our old camping stove, a grill...and of course the bar-b-q is still good....even in winter!!!! last night we were making a last ditch effort to cook a lot of stuff before it ruined....so we had a fine feast of barbeque ....potatoes, squash, ribs, steak and salmon. as i was grilling, a wayward skunk came right up to me....i sacrificed some salmon to it and away it went happily chewing. everybodys gotta eat right??
weve played more uno at momma and pops than i think i did in all my childhood...and really....we have it better than most of the city folks that dont can their own food, or have an independant heat source for warmth and such. pop went out and managed to get a generator last night that wasnt 2 thousand dollars or more and we at least got the freezer on the back porch saved....mostly.
the lines for gas and kerosene are insane here....and not a lot is open....but we are hoping to get all the city up and going by tuesday....hopefully we will have power on the farm by wednesday...when we are expecting high winds. (sigh) its supposed to snow again today, but ive not much faith in that forecast.... i just dont think we will get it any more....but at least the ice has melted from the trees and they arent splitting anymore.
really....we are a plucky little town...and yes...there have been people acting the fool...stealing generators, looting and having fights in long gas lines....but we are by and large ok. the national guard is here, lots of electric companys have come up to help out...and there have only been 7 deaths....it could have been SO much worse. by ten oclock the first morning obama had called in fema and we were on our way to ok. (mags can now make a shirt that says OBAMA CARES ABOUT KY....heh) while we are all sceptical about fema, we are pretty good at taking care of our own....but if fema has an extra chainsaw they can bring it on!
i told lea and momma yesterday that we need the saw crew...id love to see sandy and kubby tear it up!
today after the church clears out of the theatre, we are going to get ready for sweeney todd on tuesday, then we are all gathering to watch the superbowl....because none of us has power at home. also, we can do a load of laundry here and take a (much needed) shower. the cell phones are working now, and mine is charging here in the booth.....so ill call everybody back that called soon as i can.
when theres not so much to do....ill try to absorb this all. but...its going to be all right.
theres that yall
more later
justajenn
for pictures and just plain curiousity.....the link to our local newsstation:
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/default.aspx