ballerina Lucy, enjoying the hurricane's first winds + rain
I'll admit that I kind of bought into the Irene hype, if only because we have three small children and the responsibility of caring for them without water or electricity seemed difficult. There was also the issue of falling trees, and since we live in the forest we have our share of gigantic trees and limbs and some rain-saturated ground just waiting for a strong wind to knock over these giants.
exploring downed trees by the creek
Kevin reminded me a few times of our other hurricane days, in Chapel Hill, where we'd watch storms roll in and leave us with...rain. Some wind. A few down branches and no power for a few hours. it was an excuse to bunker down, watch cable television, and eat the ice cream from the out-of-power freezer.
We lost power a few times last night, for a few minutes at a time. The promised floods didn't materialize, although I was nervous since our house has potential for water pooling and flooding through the front door.
We took down our bean teepee, because we'd feel awfully silly if the only damage we sustained was from the six-foot-long sticks we put outside our door. Hello, projectiles!
Lucy hoped the strong winds would help her fly like a real fairy
(they didn't)
And that was about it. Yesterday I cleaned and Kevin entertained the kids and then it was suddenly time for bed. I have a feeling the day passed quickly for me (with my arms elbow-deep in a bucket of sudsy water, thankful for the ability to complete a task, even if it is of the scrubbing-the-floor sort), and the day dragged on for Kevin, stuck inside entertaining the three little ones.
I'd kind of planned a hurricane party for today, when we thought we'd be stuck inside with more rains and wind, possibly without electricity and definitely in need of diversion. This morning brought clear-er skies, pockets of nice weather, and as I type, bright sunshine. I shelved the party for another day, as we can always roast marshmallows over candles, but can't always scamper in the sunlight.
gathering sticks with friends
We explored the hurricane's effect on the creek this morning with our neighbors. As expected, there were downed trees and so much water. We also saw downed trees while driving home from church this morning, but thankfully no damage except to power lines.
There are still strong winds and weakened trees and the threat of big branches falling, but it's hard to imagine peril when it's so gorgeous outside. The rest of the week promises good weather, too. We plan on taking advantage - 24 hours inside is about our limit, hurricane or no hurricane.
Comments