Due to a 12 hour storm last week, the farm was without power from Tuesday night through Sunday morning. Going into the storm, I wasn’t overly worried. After all, it was going to be 60 degrees the day after the storm. How bad could one day of snow be?
Pretty bad as it turned out. It was wet, heavy snow. The kind of that they call “widow maker” snow in New England because so many people have heart attacks while trying to move it. That kind of snow doesn’t mix well with loblolly pines and power lines, as it turns out.
On Friday night, when I could no longer stand the freezing temperatures at night, the lack of hot water and internet and sleeping on my couch, I decided to treat myself to a hotel room for one night. For a mere $120, I would have hot water, high-speed internet access and cable tv for 12 whole hours. I don’t think I could have been more excited if I was heading for Disney World. Except that after I checked in, the desk clerk said (in a very off-handed way) “Oh, our cable and internet were knocked out in the storm. Have a good evening!” I was crushed.
Saturday was the worst. I returned home from a trunk show to find that I still had no power and I was so frustrated that I burst into tears. I was so tired and cold and achey! I was also starting to get worried about the animals. I had filled up extra stock tanks in anticipation of the storm, but it had already been four days and they had gone through nearly 800 gallons of water. (Cows drink a staggering amount of water.)
Finally, on Sunday, the power returned. I have never been so happy to see the flashing clock on the microwave.
I wish that I was the kind of person who could accept what I cannot change with grace and calm, but that’s not who I am. Being cut off from the world is incredibly frustrating for me. I really feel terrible that I wasn’t more empathetic to all those people who were without power for so long post-Hurricane Sandy!
I am digging my way out from under all the work that piled up while the lights were out. More interesting post tomorrow, I promise.
BIG THANKS to Lauria for holding down the online fort while I was offline.
