Hurricane Naming

Sandy was a male hurricane.
Yes, he was.

The list of hurricane names is predetermined and follows either a male-female or female-male pattern. One year begins with a male for A then a female for B and so on. The next year a female's name is used for the letter A.

Oh, that's another thing. No matter how many or how few storms there are one season, you always begin with A the next year.

I know you can find the lists of names; just google it. However, I didn't need to consult a list (and burn my battery during our power outage) to know that Sandy was a "he."

Beryl was a storm in May (who threatened my baby sister's wedding). Beryl is a girl. Count your letters. S-Sandy-is a boy.

Also, you may remember the female storm Irene from last year. If you count the letters, S would have been female last year, and is thereby male this year.

So, when referring to Superstorm Sandy, now you know he was male.

Camping Out

James and Daddy are camping out by the fire tonight.
(Dan decided to switch out our red couch with the old sleeper sofa yesterday.)
Easing back to "normal."

We're Back!!

One day and three hours shy of one week...

Marathon Morning

It's marathon day. But not really. Which is unfortunate because the weather is beautiful and quite possibly perfect for a marathon. And I feel sad for the runners who traveled from near and far after training for months only to find out on Friday night that the race had been canceled.

Do I think nyrr made the right call, in light of the damage and subsequent recovery in the area? Yes.

Should they have made that call on Tuesday? Absolutely.

Personally, I donned one of my NYC Marathon shirts and went for a run this morning. I couldn't join any of the relief runs being staged in the city in place of today's marathon, but it felt so good to just run. It was my first run in a week. My first run since I had taken my last minute last run before the storm last Sunday morning. I had a chance to hit many neighborhoods in town-- some with power, most without (identified by the sound of generators humming). I saw downed trees and brand new utility poles. I saw a train running!

I made it home in time for a hot shower (delightful) and warm breakfast (grits!) before heading to church. Which has electricity and (plenty of) heat. I charged my phone there, and we enjoyed a few hours of fellowship including trick-or-treating by the kids through the classrooms downstairs.

One of our neighbors gave James a bunch of (duplo) Legos that he's been thoroughly enjoying. He built a zoo and train this morning.

We're having an early dinner this afternoon at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We've seen lots of utility trucks, so we're hoping to beat the Nov 11th estimated date for power restoration.

Power-less

Still no power. After a few interruptions in our sleep last night (failed trip to get gas-- long lines even at 11!, diaper change for John, bathroom escort for James, musical beds...), we ended up sleeping in until after 7:30. Nice.
Dan got up and got the fire going, then we had French toast and hot chocolate. Yum.
James started the day with a long, leisurely, warm bath. (I quite enjoyed the steamy warmth in the bathroom!) John eventually joined him for their first bath together. Fun brothers time!!
Dan and James did a little yard work while I laundered (in a pot of boiling water-- very Survivor) James's underpants. Turns out a week's worth isn't enough in an emergency situation...
We had quesadillas for lunch then all headed outside to rake. Our leaf pick-up is scheduled for this week, and thanks to Sandy we have plenty of leaves and very little gas for the blower. Turns out I really like raking. It's satisfying in the same way that mopping is. However, quite frustrating in that it takes forever!! We didn't finish the front yard, but we did get quite a lot of it done. The backyard remains buried.
Grandma and Grandpa are back from their cruise and are staying here tonight. We had split pea soup with them for dinner and tried to bring them up to speed on the daily schedule without power.
We're going to try a new sleeping arrangement tonight-- Daddy and James in one bed, Mommy and John in another. Should keep everyone warm without any fighting for blankets. We hope. (Grandpa and Grandma are electing to sleep by the fire.)
Trucks from CA are in town today working on the lines, so we're hopeful!
One benefit of no power tonight-- fewer clocks to turn back!!!

Four days later...

It was this time Monday night when the power went out. Still out.

We've rearranged the family room so that the seating is near the fireplace. The TV is ignored, off to the side. I don't really miss it. It's nice going to bed early, all four of us together, no fussing from James (he's fallen asleep in front of the fire almost every night).
Sure the bed is crowded, but we're warm and getting more hours of sleep than usual by far!

The boys are both working on new skills-- James has been reading more new words (last night he read Heinz Cocktail Sauce!), and John is cruising as well as more consistently crawling with his belly up. (he also ate and then spit up a leaf this morning. Good times.)

Dan went back to work today. By bike. We're trying to conserve gas as that situation is getting out of control...

John had a nap this morning during which I did some cleaning by the light of the sun. I even dusted!

Then I took the boys to our friend-with-the-generator's house where several of us met and had lunch, charged phones, and talked while the kids played. So nice!

Tonight we had "grilled" lasagna (the last of the lasagnas Dan made when John was born) with apple pie for dessert. (another freezer treasure baked on the grill)

James enjoys playing with glow sticks each night and is currently cuddled on Daddy's lap enjoying stories by the fire. I have a snoozing babe in my lap.

Tomorrow we rake.

Day Three (Night Four)

Still no power. No heat. We do have hot water. (funny thing-- we didn't realize we had hot water, assumed it was just the warm water left in the tank and thus not good to use. Thus, this morning, we all took "pioneer baths": boiled water on the stove, mixed it with cold water, and basically did a sponge bath standing in the tub. Felt great though, and a real shower tomorrow morning will feel even better!)

Garbage and recycling resumed today, and we're scheduled for pick-up tomorrow, so we cleaned out the fridge and freezer.

We've been eating things from the freezer as they've thawed. Ravioli yesterday. Some DELICIOUS SC shrimp tonight (I pigged out!!). Fortunately, I just cleaned out the freezer a week ago, so a lot of old, suspect items had already been disposed of. Looks like we'll be moving on to the canned goods now.

We did get out today which was nice. I took the boys to the playground for an hour or so (if you're going to be cold, you may as well be cold whilst playing and running around with other kids!) then we headed to a friend's house who has a generator. I re-charged my phone and my body-- heat, adult conversation. James even got to watch a "kids show"-- it was wonderful!

Somehow tomorrow is already Friday. And it's November.
Weird.

For now, I'll just cuddle with my sleeping baby in front of the fire, before we all head upstairs for another sleepover in Mommy and Daddy's bed.