Sunday: Ethan's birthday. Celebrated with lunch, then headed to Little Rock to return my grandmother to her home.
Monday: Took my grandmother to a doctor's appointment, then booked it back to NWA to beat the weather. Hands and legs were sore for 3 days because I was so tense driving back. By 3:00, eveyone was home and waiting to see if it was really going to do anything outside.
Tuesday: It did something. And kept doing it all day long. It looked like someone was dumping huge vats of Sonic ice from the sky. Lost power on and off until it went off for good midafternoon. Started up our puny gas fireplace, lit a bunch of candles and got ready. Put the kids to bed in front of the fire around 8:30. Sat on the couch, not able to see or make any noise, for about 30 minutes, then gave up and went to sleep on a mattress in the living room.
Wednesday: We woke up to no power and a cold living room. Still raining Sonic ice. We hightailed it to my parents' house, which was nice and warm and light. Stayed there all day. We were joined at lunch by Chad and Marla and their kids, who were also without electricity. It was a full house. We were thrilled when our house was re-powered around 8. Came home and settled in. Were joined by Matt's sister and her roommate, whose power was not back yet. They took Abby's room, she slept with me, and Matt was on the couch again.
Thursday: Nice, normal day until 11, when the power went BACK out. Stayed home until we were ready to kill the kids, then went to Wal Mart and out to dinner. Had power back when we got home. Matt's sister stayed over again.
Friday: Matt went to work. Power out at 11. Again. Another time. We began to suspect that we were being toyed with. We took the kids to my parents' and came back one last time at 8. No power. We packed up and headed back to spend the night with them. Electricity came back on at 8:30, but we were not here to see it.
Saturday: We've been home all day, trying to get some laundry done and letting the kids catch up on their tv addiction. Matt has been out helping some guys from church clean up for some of our church families that had bad damage.
All in all, we've come through pretty unscathed. We had no damage to the house, and our front yard tree is the only one on the street still standing. Most everyone we know has power back now, though some won't get it back for a couple of weeks. I'm still in awe of how much damage a little frozen water can do.
I took a few pictures of the fallout. Here's a tree in the field behind our house. I took this on Tuesday--now everything has broken off but the main trunk.
Here are a couple of closeups from a tree at my parents'. Notice the size of the branches and the size of the ice around them--it's amazing they're still off the ground.
I really hope that things will begin to return to normal now. And I really, REALLY hope that school will be back in session Monday. If you have a good storm story, let's hear it!
6 comments:
Well, I don't know if it is good but here is a little from ours:
tuesday-11am power went out and never came back until friday at 3pm. we thought, we can do this! we don't have a fire place so we just layered up. we ate cold cooked chicken and an apple for dinner with our flashlights. zachary had an ear infection during this and slept in a snowsuit. aidan woke up in the night with a wet bed and was shaking. after asking him all day if he was cold, he finally said, "daddy, i am starting to get cold now!" we went to bed when it was 58 in the house and woke up when it was 51. we had had enough and found a friend in springdale with power where we stayed for three days. jake spent all day today cleaning up our front yard and helping the neighbors. i want our lives to be back to normal very soon!
Ok Nancy that title cracks me and takes me back!! ps Can't wait for the date night with you!
Michelle
OK that is suppose to say cracks me UP
Our power went off at 735 am Tuesday, came back on for roughly two hours around noon that day, and was off until 1:05 pm today - Sunday. Yes, that is 5 solid days without power. We kept a fire going in the fireplace, cooked on the grill out back, relearned how to use dial-up internet, etc. I carried a bag of items to my office everyday to recharge, and went to the EZ Mart in my PJ's so I could borrow power to grind coffee for Omar. No major damage to the house, but quite a few trees down to clean up. All in all, we feel blessed.
welcome to LR/Bryant 2000! I certainly feel your pain sister! When we were our of power for 10 days back in 2000, because we were really "out in the country", when the power went out, so did our well! No well, no water! When you have children, you can survive without power in an emergency-though we don't like to! we can do it, but when you have children, regardless of their ages, and you not only don't have power, but WATRER either, it's tough! This was a train wreck waiting to happen! I learned a lot about myself and my family during that 10 days of no power or water- I can cook on a wood fire place stovetop if I have to- and it tastes pretty "home cooked!" I can live without tv or radio, I can catch up on worldly news later on, and you can only play so many games of uno, chicken foot and life without pulling out your hair! During the first couple of days we all got to know each other again- that was nice- but by the end of the 3rd or 4th day, we all wanted to be as far away from each other as we could get! We did survive like all of you will- But I need to remind you, if you unplugged any freezers that might be in a garage or not in plain sight, be sure to plug them back in or you will find a mess in 4 or 5 months like Butch Middleton did in April of 2000. He meant well when he unplugged the freezer and plugged it into the generator (what was the use in that any way, it was below freezing outside and nothing was going to unthaw!) and alternated between the fridge and feezer- but when the power did come back on, it was the fridge that was plugged into the generator- so when he went to the freezer the last of April to get a delicious roast to cook on the grill, what do you think he found???? Just imagine! Lets just say, when he called me at work and told me, my only response was: I hope I can't smell anything by the time I get home from work! You unplugged it and didn't remember to plug it back in, you clean it up!
As awful as it is and was last week, you and your family will survive, I promise- and it certainly reminds us to be thankful for all of the luxuries we take for granted !
Love, LKM
Day 8 - Still no power! I'm ready to go home to my bed and my hubby (and mother's day out)! Thank God for my parents! I'll let you know when we get back home!
Patty
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