We Are Safe!

Hurricane Irene hit us with more wind than rain.  She quickly was downgraded to a Tropical Storm but the winds were still sustained in the upper 50 mile per hour range.  We lost a lot of trees and one member of our ward had a tree go through her shed.  Another member lost shingles off of the their home and one lost the roofing cap of their garage. There was no loss of life but at 10 a.m. Sunday morning we lost power which meant we were without telephone too.  Clyde and I read a talk from the Conference issue and read next weeks lesson for Sunday School.  Then we played a couple of games in which Clyde trounced me in Scrabble - twice!  We do have a battery powered radio, so we were not completely cut.  Just hearing what was going on in the world made easier and time go more quickly.  The interesting thing to me is I could not read.  I read hours every day!  But Sunday I could not concentrate.  It was really weird.  Yesterday, once things calmed down, I was fine and could have read all day.

We have a little two burner camp stove so we were able to have some soup.  We lost milk and some leftovers from our refrigerator but nothing from our freezer.  I packed it with everything I could find that I could fill with water just before the storm.  Sunday morning I cranked it up to the coldest setting.  I actually kept most things fairly cold in refrigerator until yesterday morning but the milk wasn't cold but cool so I didn't dare keep it.

Yesterday morning Clyde and I went out visited about 10 families in the ward because cellphones and landlines were not working.  We were able to see damage firsthand and find out from people that did have cellphones that were working how other members of the ward were doing.  While we were out, our power came on.  We got home about 4 - tired but knowing we had visited with people that needed to be seen and others that knew what was going on.  Plus we saw our home teaching and visiting teaching families.

So all is well.  Except for cleaning out our refrigerator - which was long overdue, there is not damage to us.  We do have ward members that are still without power though and it it looks like it could be this weekend before they do get power.