(Sweetie Saturday - er, I mean Sunday - side note: After church yesterday, we came home the back way, taking roads we've very rarely travelled before. Most of the homes along this route showed the devastation that occurred due to the recent ice storm in graphic detail. Whole trees uprooted from the ground. Power lines down. Limbs of all sizes strewn upon the lawns and roadways. Ice still frozen on every single square inch of every single tree branch and limb. Hubby and I were truly in awe. We had previously thought our little road looked pretty bad. But no, not nearly as bad as these neighborhoods. It truly looked like a war zone.
We commented to Sweetie that we were very, very lucky. - Why are we lucky, Mama? - Because! We have our power back. Our house and our cars are safe. We aren't hurt. Look all around you. Do you see all the trees and branches that are down? These houses still don't have power and may not get it back for days. That's why we're lucky. Grammy and Grampy don't have power! Nana and Papa don't have power! Many, many people don't have power. But we do. We are lucky.
There. Surely Sweetie can appreciate all that I just expressed. Even if not fully, some of what I just said had certainly gotten through to her. Uhhh... but, no. Obviously Sweetie didn't listen to a word I said. Because her comment from the back seat as we passed by another house that happened to have a colorful mailbox? - Oh! I know why we're lucky! Because that house has a green mailbox and I love green! I'm a lucky girl to see that.
Yeah. Okay. Whatever, Sweetie.)
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I woke Sweetie up last Thursday, got her dressed and fed - all ready for school. Then I happened to look at my cell phone. I could see that a call from her school came very early that morning, with a message saying that school was cancelled.
Huh. That was unexpected. It was raining that morning, but nothing more. But I did know that the storm was expected to start in the afternoon. Maybe they cancelled school in anticipation of the messy afternoon commute.
(side note: Sweetie has not been to school since last Wednesday. We already know it's cancelled for tomorrow. Who knows when she'll get back in the classroom! She'll be going to school until August at this point, in order to make up for all the "snow" (and ice) days!)
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On the night of the storm, after we lost power shortly after 11 p.m., Hubby and I headed to bed. The wind was howling so badly, and I think we already heard limbs coming down. I thought about the huge, old, rotting tree right outside Sweetie's bedroom. I wanted her moved to stay with us in our room.
Hubby went to gently wake her up and transport her to our bed. She opened her eyes, but allowed Hubby to carry her. As he came into our room, I saw that Sweetie was sitting up in his arms, her eyes open and looking at me. But she wasn't saying a word.
The very instant that he laid her down in our bed, she immediately curled up to me and was deeply asleep. Slow, steady breaths. Not moving a muscle. Completely and utterly dead to the world.
She started to squirm about an hour later. Soon there after, she woke up, confused, asking.
Mama? Why am I in your bed?
We told her about the storm and how we thought it would be safer to have her with us for awhile. But she could go back to her room if she wanted.
She got up and took herself to her own bed. Poor thing. She waking up in not-her-own-bed is certainly an unexpected event. I wonder if she's wondered in the nights since if she'd wake up in her room or not.
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As I mentioned above, we know several people who do not yet have electricity. The news affiliates warned that it could be up to a week or two before some places see power on again. So many people don't know what to expect. Rather - they're expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.
One of my friends, though, was told that it really would be about two week before power returned to her neighborhood. As you can imagine, she was very concerned, as this would interfere with Christmas as well.
Luckily, they actually got their power back yesterday! Wow! A Christmas miracle indeed!
But now? Ugh. I just got a message from them again, saying the power is out again. Wow. I know they weren't expecting that. Ooh, boy. Let's hope that is resolved very soon - and very permanently - for them and everyone else.
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Edited to update: Power is back for some of our family and our friends! Yay! Keep it comin', power company!
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