december 13

Ice storm leaves 1.2 million waiting for power – Weather- msnbc.com

this time last year we were in the dark and cold. i think the whole state was iced over. i had heat from a gas fireplace, and hot water from a gas heated water tank, so we were better off than many. my granddaughter sienna was born today last year. i certainly feel blessed not to be in the throws of an ice storm this time. i can appreciate what those in new england are experiencing, having been through it myself now. there was such a storm one year in portland, when i was a child, but i wasnt so bothered by it, seeing it through a childs eyes. i remember the frozen drifts of snow that covered cars and buried the city, solid enough to walk on – and talking my little dog out in the back and sliding him all over the ice hills in the yard. im sure he laughed when i slipped and hit my chin on the same ice. he was more a little brother than a pet.

this time, all i see are leaves blowing madly along the street, across the dry yards, and in mindless circles in the air. as much as i love winter, it isnt pretty here. but then, it isnt ever pretty here to me. many of the trees still have broken limbs from last years ice, because they often arent cared for unless they pose a hazard. there is much litter, and because it is often very windy here, and the land is rolling but flattish, trash is always blowing around. as is dust. ah how i long for the evergreen forests that cover the coastal mountains. the wind blows there as well, but the trees provide cover, and the mountains break the straight lines. the people there are more likely to secure their trash cans, so that they and the trash they hold arent strewn about haphazardly. one drives down the street in ones own neighborhood here, and has to dodge the big green bins rolling around in the way.

can you tell im homesick?

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the whole point of Christmas

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i thought maybe it just didnt feel like Christmas this year. then i began to think, what exactly does Christmas feel like anyway? a kind of vague happy mood, because of all the decorations and lights, the traditional foods and eggnog, and cards in the mail? i have been giving this some thought.

from a Christian point of view, im expected to get all reverent and talk about how Christ was born and the gift God gave us and all that. truth is, i think about that all year. i dont associate the holiday trappings with the birth of my Lord on earth, even though i was raised as a catholic, and used to go to midnight mass every Christmas eve – which i loved, because i like celebrating that event. it just seemed to me like Christmas coincided with our little celebration of Jesus’ birth.

then there is the rest of it. the holly, the lights, the gift giving, and the dinner. it all can be fun, and pretty, but what exactly is the point? as a child, i thought the point was the gift giving. but really, there are so many traditions that stem from so many different sources, i guess the point now is just to have a holiday to celebrate. which is full circle from the early origins in the holiday, when people were celebrating the winter solstice, at which point the days again begin to get longer and the nights begin to get shorter. it seems even the people in the southern hemisphere have their winter holidays.

so it seems the whole point of having a holiday in the middle of winter is to relieve the winter blues, and give people something to look forward to. but Christmas isnt as much fun as it used to be. i dont think its because im grown up. i think its because the whole point has been obscured, at least here in america.

during the depression franklin roosevelt extended the shopping days to start the day after thanksgiving, to boost the economy. it was a good idea for the time. but it became a tradition in itself, a purely commercial tradition, because most retail stores do such a big part of their business between thanksgiving and Christmas. especially on black friday. i think, over time, it got pushed more and more, so that the focus of Christmas was on buying gifts, buying decorations, buying holiday food, buying everything. people get really stressed over getting their shopping done in time, and getting something for every one. its not fun. its work. its frustrating being stuck in traffic, having to weave through crowds of people, having to stand in long lines to pay for your stuff, just so you can go home and spend all evening wrapping presents.

i think im going to have fun, and enjoy a festive mood again. i wanted to shop this year instead of giving gift cards, and my plans were delayed two weeks because of the ice storm. the beau and i had to face the push of the crowds, something neither of us enjoy. but we managed to get through it unscathed, had a nice supper at quizno’s, and went home. the gifts will be new years gifts instead of Christmas gifts, but oh well. thats not the point.

the day the trees broke

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it was exactly a week ago today i drank my last cup of the iced coffee i keep on hand. i didnt make anymore that morning, and regretted it later. it was pretty cold outside, and after a while it began to rain. i had spent saturday cleaning, and was settling in to enjoy a peaceful day at home. the beau was sleeping in, recovering from a wicked cold. it was nothing to compare to the wicked cold moving into the state.

soon the rain turned to ice rain, and began to coat the world outside. it wouldnt stop, and the ice began to build on anything with a surface. winter was here, and she was not in a pretty mood. even jack frost kept away as she swept her icy robes over everything in sight, over and over again. hour after hour the ice rain fell. by late afternoon there was about an inch or more of ice on everything. my house is in an old neighborhood, and we have some of the largest, oldest trees around, many having too much deadwood because no one seems to want to cut anything tree related. ‘theyre too pretty to cut’. not anymore theyre not.

thats when it started. first there was a loud cracking sound, as a branch began to splinter. then the horrendous crash as it fell. a few at first. then they began to come down all over. not just my neighborhood, or my city, but all across the state, and several others as well. i think my house must have been in the very eye of the storm, because we were hit the hardest, at least in tulsa, for broken trees and downed lines. oh yes, i forgot to mention the bright blue flashes magnified by the icy rains and clouds, the ones i thought were snow lightning. blue, green, and red flashes began to burst all over the skies. silly me. that was the transformers exploding as lines were ripped out when trees fell.

it was a very quiet storm, as storms go. except for the timbers breaking and falling, there was very little else to hear. no wind, oh thank You Jesus! wind would have taken us off the map. there were a few house fires, and several people killed or injured, but nothing like it would have been had there been wind. no, it was eerily silent other than the breaking trees, and the occasional car alarm.

the sound kept up through the night. by morning there was a different world out there. we ventured out to see if we could get to the beaus work. there were icy limbs and branches everywhere, although the streets were merely wet. there were lines down as well. we picked our way through this surreal environment like a character in a video game searching for a workable route. we made it, only to find out there was no power at his place of work. they sent everyone home after about 15 minutes. when we got home, there was no power at our house either.

there was no power anywhere.

250,000 people in tulsa alone were without power. across the state, closer to 1,000,000. very few escaped without losing their electricity. we spent monday at home, as most of my coworkers did too, although my clinic was open and the building, one of about five powered by the hospital generators, had power. the clinic did close early however, as only about three patients made it in.

we dont have a generator as a few on my block do, but were still better off than many. we have a gas fireplace, and a gas water heater, halogen flashlights, and a gas stove. we also only had a large treelike bush in one corner of the yard. it was snapped in half, but that was the only damage we sustained. God has blessed us with a very good choice of house. many of my neighbors had big trees in there yards. the old house, three blocks from our new house, had several huge tree. the operative word here is had.  the beautiful oak in the front yard is ruined, and the two huge trees in the back that always gave us problems, well they wont be giving anyone else problems now.

we had to ride it out for seven days. the president declared it a disaster area, releasing funds to bring in 2400 additional power workers, who pushed very hard to get everyone back up and running before the next storm – which skirted my town. my neighborhood was among the last to be restored, because it had the worst damages to lines. but saturday morning, as the beau was coming back from the laundromat, a fleet of five trucks followed him right to our house. i never saw such a beautiful set of trucks! by late afternoon, about 4:30 PM, there was the most welcome knock on the door, and the young man on the porch asked us if our main breaker was on. “well, turn it on, you have power now.”  i could have kissed him!

this morning the sky is brilliant blue, and the ice is long gone. im sitting here enjoying myself at the computer again, drinking fresh made coffee, and listening to the heater blowing warm air. we slept in our bed for the first time in seven days. we watched TV last night, and i vacuumed up much kitty litter. ah, the little joys of life.

i love winter, but she can sure be a harsh mistress at times.

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randomizing

its saturday, and my second four day weekend in a row. i have a few more days vacation around Christmas, and then the year begins all over again. i like saturdays. the world opens up to me on saturday.

yesterday i washed the canine and feline kanji off the windows while the beau organized the computer room. he isnt done yet, but he made much progress. this room hadnt been really organized since we moved in, because we were focused on the rest of the house first.

nosomi is in the hallway singing to her plastic milk carton ring. she loves to carry it around and caterwaul. its ridiculously funny. the feline hierarchy has turned out as i predicted. thor loves her, and they play together all the time. gizmo doesnt like her, but he doesnt like any of the other cats too much. maggie sometimes likes her and attempts to play, and sometimes is her little psycho self and runs up at her, hisses, and runs off. nosi is likely to let out a most unearthly banshee screech at such times. usually late at night. cinnamon just keeps track of every one, and then wants to play with us.

i went out once yesterday to price an iron arch i had seen in a shop near here. it looks like a good item to make the head board i need so i can turn the bed diagonal in the bedroom. they are asking $249 for it. i am still considering it. its a black wrought iron, simple, and about the right size. i didnt measure it, although i probably should have. it looks right. a regular head board for a king sized bed will be too wide. the problem is how to attach it so it will be a back for the pillows, since the bed wont be flush up against the wall. hmmm …

the weather has finally gotten cold, and the sky this morning is overcast. much to my liking. its not that i dont like the sun. i just get tired of it. cloudy days offer a whole other feeling to the world. i welcome the cold as well. now i can get out my boots, my sweaters, and the long stockings that i love.

today i must tackle the remaining few boxes in the front room. with them cleared out, i can finally finish putting up mirrors and pictures, and get my workout room ordered to my liking. the beau probably thinks i have lost interest in my treadmill. but i havent. that, like everything else, has to have a routine for it. i am looking forward to getting this last thing done. pictures to come, of course.

i am pleased to say that i have maintained my 15lb loss of weight, and am about to shed more. i have a goal to reach 130lbs. i like that weight. one of my coworkers believes once you reach a certain age certain things have to happen. i do not subscribe to that thinking. i believe all things are possible to him who believes.

well, im off to my tasks.

storm central

in response to a request by my dear friend Aussie, of sundrip journal, and everyone else who may be wondering, we were unaffected by the recent storms that blew through. friday night saw a lot of rain come in. this always has the same effect on one cat in particular, that being gizmo, our black cat. this is the cat most unaffected by anything else. he frequently gets run over by the dogs, because he doesnt care to move out of the way when they come galloping through, preferring to voice his disapproval instead. he is the one who will oppose me when i attempt to shush the cats off the counters and out of the kitchen, hissing and acting all defiant. he’s a saucy little boy, that one. but come rain and wind howling outside, this sassy fat cat sort of melts onto a puddle of liquid tar, with eyeballs, and slithers into the bathroom where he feels he is hiding from ‘the noise’.  sammy isnt disturbed by much of anything that isnt directly trying to cause her eat a pill or be stuck with needles. maggie and thor, skittish as they are the rest of the time, couldnt care less about the goings on outside, unless its people at the door.

it rained hard all night friday night, and into saturday morning. the rest of the day remained overcast after the rains let up. the wind, however, was relentless all weekend.

poor gizmo. liquid tar with eyeballs slithering around in the bathroom.

where to begin?

i havent posted in a while, and now i dont know where to start. there has been a kaleidoscope of thoughts in my head, about a  plethora of subjects, once again feeling like i have a flock of birds in my head.

first off, we came through the recent ice storm unscathed. we have lived psalm 91 in this. thousands and ten thousands around us have lost their power and been in the cold and dark for over a week now. but the two most brutal strikes of the storm, those of freezing rains, went one to the south and one to the north of us, leaving everything covered in sheathes of thick ice. but tulsa got only the first wave, sleet that doesnt stick to power lines and trees. though the streets were paved with ice smooth like glass, and yards shined like polished white crystal, we suffered no serious damages. and so we camped indoors, like bears in our lighted cave, but awake.

this weekend we saw only cold rain, instead of the snow that was predicted to blanket us. this helped to melt what remains of the ice, until the sloppy slush is finally all gone.

sammy became rather dehydrated again friday, and wouldnt eat saturday morning. so i took her to the vet to get fluids. this time she was given subcutaneous fluids rather than an iv. easier on her, faster administration, and something i can follow up with at home when she needs more. poor little kitty … so thin, and now with saddlebags under her front legs where the water settled. but she is feeling better, and as she absorbs the water, i can give her more without having to take her anywhere. she ate some trout from my plate last night, just a little, but i wanted her to eat something. but she still has no appetite for her cat food. so i give her yogurt with a syringe, to keep her strength up till she feels like eating her food again. ah, my little patient. she is such a trooper.

i sent my mother a digital picture frame, perfect for the technologically challenged. it was a late Christmas gift. included was a memory card that had about 50+ pictures on it of various things of our daily life. she loves it!

the inward things i have been mulling around in my head have to do with my own psyche. things like how i always feel like i should be doing something else, no matter what im doing. or that i need to hurry, so i can get on with the next thing. i think this is from the old hyperactivity i was diagnosed with as a small child. i think this is why i have ‘flock of scattered birds’ thoughts so often. so many times i want to sit down and write about past things that still trouble me, or current things that bother me, only to lose what i was thinking when i actually get to the computer. the birds have scattered once again.

then there is the conflict i have over sharing my struggles. so often i have tried to, only to feel like im dwelling on things i should be walking away from. and truly, its not like i suffer deeply now. its more like, when engaging in conversations or interactions with people i am associated with, on any level, i feel so foreign, so alien. i generally feel inept at communicating. my concept of good communication seems to be different than most. my concept of most things seems to be different than most. sigh.

but if i only share my triumphs, my expressions will be shallow, hollow. what good is a triumph, if there was no struggle preceding it? i am a Christian, and that is to say i have accepted the gifts, the tools, and the weapons, that God has offered us all. it doesnt mean i have been delivered from all problems. it doesnt mean i will never face another challenge. it means i now have at my disposal all the resources of God and heaven to overcome and win every time. one of my challenges has been to learn to use those things effectively. this is where the intrusion of religion most likes to occur. but that will be another post for another day.

for now, i do feel the need to get with other, more mundane, tasks of the day. saving the world and writing great posts will have to wait, i have to take a shower and vacuum the carpet, while the beau sleeps in.

hunting

i had such a cool dream the other morning. i dreamed i was talking to my son and daughter in law, and we were discussing hunting. i come from i a long line of outdoorsy women. we love to hunt, hike, and a myriad of other outdoors activities. i dreamed we went elk hunting together, me and my son. with long rifles.

it was a short dream.

i know many women do not share my affinity for reptiles, rodents, weapons, hunting, and things of this sort. but that is a part of who i am. i have a warrior heritage, and a hunter heritage. its in my genes.

weekend storm

the storm and ice blew in thursday night. the winter queen came in with unusual fanfare, blanketing everything with the snowy folds of her gowns, her white hair whipping with the wind. you could just about hear the pounding of the hooves of her horses, galloping roughshod over everything in their path. the wheels of her carriage scattered ice in all directions. but the cold that came in with her was like a henchman riding at her side. his icy breath sent living things scurrying for warmer shelter.

i welcomed the ice queen. one of the few true winter people am i. though i can scarce stand in her presence for long, her beauty enthralls me, her freezing breath cools me. armed with sweater and boots, and long stockings, i can come and go as i please when she is here. not so with summer’s burdensome heat. to me, summer is a harsh, oppressive queen in this southern land. she has more powered here than in the north, her favorite realms being around the belly of the planet. she loves the most populated places best.

not so winter. she is a lady. fierce and rugged, she can be very stern. but she preserves the things she freezes, and keeps them pristine. nothing rots in her kingdom. nothing decays, or stinks.

not everyone loves her like i do. many prefer the sweltering of summers heat. but when her scepter touches things for too long, they wilt, they spoil, they send off offences to the nose and eyes. her wand brings tiny flying biters in hordes that do not relent. it dries up the waters, and burns the grass, filling the air with smokey ash.

im glad winter is here. i will enjoy her as long as she will stay.