![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shireboundOh my gosh, where to begin? I haven't been online (or had access to TV) for more than a few minutes at a time since last Tuesday morning, so there's a lot to share. I think I'll divide the past week into four separate posts over the next few days: The Storm, Landscaping, Family News, and Mushrooms. Today is the Storm Story!
I was glued to the news about Hurricane Isaias, which had lessened to Tropical Storm Isaias by the time it arrived in our area last Tuesday. I was able to get Pippin outside twice before the torrential rain started in the late morning, and what followed was a long day of incredible lightning, thunder, rain, and very strong wind... probably the strongest wind I've ever experienced, but thankfully not hurricane force. Around noon my brother and sister-in-law, who live about five miles away, lost power and wouldn't get it back for two days. The wind knocked down huge trees, which brought down power lines all over the state. There are still households in New Jersey without power! In my brother's area the lines are underground, but he lost power and I didn't. So bizarre.
Right around 1:00, the Comcast outages began. (Comcast is a major internet and cable TV provider.) For the first three frustrating days, their automated phone message gave varying times for the resolution of the outage, until finally it just said service would be restored "as soon as possible". For some people it was a day, or four, and in my case, seven. My signal didn't come back until yesterday, and it was THRILLING. I was so happy to be able to turn on the TV last night, I almost hugged it. And internetz! I adore you! Why couldn't I use my smartphone for internet, you ask? Because T-Mobile (my carrier) also had an outage! That first day I could still send and receive texts, but nothing else. Service eventually came back, but it wasn't reliable.
Wow, the wind was howling that day, so loud it often drowned out the thunder. Then, right at the height of the storm, there was a crashing, grinding sound. Not good! I ran outside as soon as possible, and was relieved to see that my roof was fine. But a brand-new metal shed that a neighbor had put in his backyard had apparently been ripped to pieces by the wind. (See pic, below) That evening, when Pippin and I could walk around the neighborhood again, there were branches and trees down everywhere, and my across-the-street neighbor lost some shingles from his roof. If I hadn't had my ancient and leaky roof replaced two years ago, I'm sure it wouldn't have held.
It was unnerving not to have TV or internet for so long, but I sure got a lot done around the house. I also read two great books: Candice Bergen's autobiography A Fine Romance, and Mark Burnett's Jump In! Even If You Don't Know How To Swim.
You folks who go through stronger and more frightening storms than this have my admiration. Losing internet and TV for a week was annoying for sure, but that's all I lost. PLEASE point me towards any posts you'd like me to read, since I don't think I have the energy to go back through a week of them!
I was glued to the news about Hurricane Isaias, which had lessened to Tropical Storm Isaias by the time it arrived in our area last Tuesday. I was able to get Pippin outside twice before the torrential rain started in the late morning, and what followed was a long day of incredible lightning, thunder, rain, and very strong wind... probably the strongest wind I've ever experienced, but thankfully not hurricane force. Around noon my brother and sister-in-law, who live about five miles away, lost power and wouldn't get it back for two days. The wind knocked down huge trees, which brought down power lines all over the state. There are still households in New Jersey without power! In my brother's area the lines are underground, but he lost power and I didn't. So bizarre.
Right around 1:00, the Comcast outages began. (Comcast is a major internet and cable TV provider.) For the first three frustrating days, their automated phone message gave varying times for the resolution of the outage, until finally it just said service would be restored "as soon as possible". For some people it was a day, or four, and in my case, seven. My signal didn't come back until yesterday, and it was THRILLING. I was so happy to be able to turn on the TV last night, I almost hugged it. And internetz! I adore you! Why couldn't I use my smartphone for internet, you ask? Because T-Mobile (my carrier) also had an outage! That first day I could still send and receive texts, but nothing else. Service eventually came back, but it wasn't reliable.
Wow, the wind was howling that day, so loud it often drowned out the thunder. Then, right at the height of the storm, there was a crashing, grinding sound. Not good! I ran outside as soon as possible, and was relieved to see that my roof was fine. But a brand-new metal shed that a neighbor had put in his backyard had apparently been ripped to pieces by the wind. (See pic, below) That evening, when Pippin and I could walk around the neighborhood again, there were branches and trees down everywhere, and my across-the-street neighbor lost some shingles from his roof. If I hadn't had my ancient and leaky roof replaced two years ago, I'm sure it wouldn't have held.
It was unnerving not to have TV or internet for so long, but I sure got a lot done around the house. I also read two great books: Candice Bergen's autobiography A Fine Romance, and Mark Burnett's Jump In! Even If You Don't Know How To Swim.
You folks who go through stronger and more frightening storms than this have my admiration. Losing internet and TV for a week was annoying for sure, but that's all I lost. PLEASE point me towards any posts you'd like me to read, since I don't think I have the energy to go back through a week of them!
Parts of the blown-apart shed came to rest on top of another neighbor's shed. The sound of that building coming apart was loud and scary.
I refilled the bird feeders and water dish early in the morning after the storm, and within ten minutes, feathered friends flew in from everywhere! (These pics are a bit fuzzy since I took them through a screened window.) I like to imagine them waiting in the trees, watching my yard, confident that a post-storm breakfast would be served.
