Stormy Weather...

Perhaps I was counting my weather blessings a little too soon this year. From October on, I've been praying for the ice and snow to stay away.  And until this past week, there hasn't even been a threat of snow in any forecast.  Each day that brought me closer to spring without a snow threat was much appreciated.

But all that came to an end last week.  Starting last Tuesday, the Puget Sound area of Washington state got hammered with snow...then freezing rain...then an ice storm...then more snow.  Let me just say, it was a scene from my worst nightmare... made all the more horrendous when we lost power for three and a half days. 

I know that not everyone shared my feelings.  My husband thought it was "an adventure," and loved it.  My son thought it was great!  Not me. I felt trapped...and I was. 

Heavy snow hit first and then came the ice.  Everything outside was coated in a thick jacket of it. Before long, trees and ice-coated branches were snapping and falling everywhere.   It sounded like we were in the middle of a gun battle as the trees buckled under the weight of the ice and crashed around us.  Our roads were blocked with fallen trees and our yard was littered with branches. 

Fortunately, we have a gas fireplace which keeps our living room toasty warm.  My husband hung sheets of plastic over the doorways to keep the heat in.  Of course, that made for frosty sleeping since our bedrooms are upstairs...outside the heated zone.  We snuggled down under extra blankets for warmth, and I must say we slept really well! 

The hardest part of being without power was how quickly it got dark in the evening.  By 4:00 the light was fading in the house and before we knew it, it was dark and we were left with only candlelight and flashlights...tough to read a book by!

I am rather proud of myself for some of my creative solutions to life-without-power.  It was hard to find a way to stand our flashlights up on end.  Then one day, inspiration hit!  I won't tell you where I was when got my brilliant idea.  You might be able to figure it out...



I also found a new use for the little battery operated votives that were left over from my daughter's wedding last spring...

Yep...runway lights into a pitch black powder room with no windows!   They gave just enough light to let you see where you were going...pun intended!

With the power back on, and most of the snow gone, life is looking better again.  And I think I'll just need to double my prayers for no snow for the rest of the winter.  

But before I go, I want to give a huge shout-out to those awesome utility workers who worked round the clock to restore power to thousand upon thousands of people's homes.  As a matter of fact, they are still working at it.  They are definitely my snow heroes!