snowed in

Just a quick hello from my snow and ice bound, and powerless, home.  We’re pushing 80+ hours off the grid, but are doing alright due to some preparedness and the awesomeness of friends and neighbors.  We’ve got a generator, which we’ve been sharing with the next door neighbors.  We’ve got cords of wood, split this summer during my unemployment.  Our fireplace makes the living room a good place to spend our days, and we have loads of warm blankets to get us through the nights.  The generator allows us to run our fridge and keep our freezer frozen, and we can switch cords and power the wifi and our recharging station (a power strip on the office floor) so our phones and laptops and tablet are powered up.

We’ve been sharing resources with our next door neighbors, they have a gas stove, and have invited us over for a couple of hot meals.  Gas hot water heaters mean we can take showers and wash our dishes.  We aren’t doing nearly as badly as some folks in the area, and any of us with houses are doing better than those without.  Boredom is barely being staved off by books and some internet time, tablet games for the toddler and some socializing with other friends in the neighborhood.  All in all, we’re very fortunate.

The stir crazy mentality is taking its toll on each of us though, and I’m glad that school will be in session tomorrow (albeit with a late start) and I’ll be heading to work.  My truck is still snow bound, and there is the matter of the power line down across our driveway, but we can get out in the Subaru, so my wife will give me a lift to and from work.  The toddler will go to daycare.  We’re hoping that we don’t cross the 96 hour mark (tomorrow at 8), but if we do, I fervently wish our neighborhood greets Monday evening with all the bright glow of streetlights and TV sets.

I don’t know how many of you are Western Washington, dealing with this, but good luck and I hope we all come out of the dark soon.

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