Thank Goodness It Only Happens Every Fifty Years

My friend Paree told me today that if she had to listen to me retell the story of how I didn’t have power for 3 days, she’d slit her wrists. So I decided, much to her horror, to write it down in detail and make it a three-part series. Then I think I’ll just keep emailing it to her over and over under different headings. I might even send it to her disguised as a New Years card, since I haven’t sent mine out yet.

I knew I was in trouble when the radio weather person while talking about the impending 50-year storm said that “people in the mountains should be prepared” because we would suffer the brunt of the storm.

She went on to say that we should take down our Christmas decorations. Wow, This is one harsh storm, I thought, if it was going to knock down my Christmas decorations. How did they know that I hadn’t taken them down yet? Then I realized that she was talking about outdoor decorations like lights, plastic snowmen, blow-up Santas, things like that. The wind could lift up your twiggy reindeer and chuck it though your living room window or create some equally hideous disaster.

There was a series of three storms coming. Thursday the first storm blew in. It wasn’t bad. My older son and I even went running during the first part of the storm. It was a little windy and a little rainy. It was a medium, as far as California storms go.

At around 4A.M. Friday morning, the biggest of the three storms hit. I lay awake in the dark, feeling warm and cozy, listening to the wind and the rain—one of my favorite things to do. Little did I know how much lying in the dark I would be doing in the next four days.

I was excited. We needed the rain. 2006 had been a dry winter and it had been a dry year to date.

I woke up the next morning to a first-class storm.

I dressed for yoga and took off down the road to my yoga class.

When I returned home through the driving wind and heavy rain, I found the power out and my husband and two children at each other’s throats.

This was day fourteen of my kid’s winter vacation. They had been together every day and they had been fighting every day. In my Zen state I was not prepared to spend another day with them in the house with no power without taking a large amount of prescription medication.

I told the kids to get into my car with their Christmas gift certificates. No argument, they jumped into the car and off we went through the crazy rain and wind. There are some that may think this was a dangerous thing to do. Those people have never been in the same room with my two sons on day fourteen of their winter vacation with no power.

My kids the day before the storm, during happier times, with electricity.

My driveway last Friday

The storm was very entertaining to my two testosterone fueled children. We traveled through some of the deepest, widest puddles I’ve ever seen. We pulled into the Toy R Us parking lot and we were suddenly wheel-well deep in a thirty-foot wide puddle. A vision flashed into my brain of me standing on the roof of my car, handing my youngest son up to a Coast Guardsman, clad in a helmet and life vest and dangling from a cable out of a circling helicopter, hovering over the Toys R Us parking lot.

another view of the small lake in my driveway

I parked my car in the empty parking lot, next to a tree that had been sheared in half, and entered my least favorite store in the world.

After using up all their gift money and then some, we decided to go to lunch in the nearby shopping mall.

The mall was virtually vacant. After all, who would be stupid enough to be out shopping in the 50-year storm? O.K., um, never mind.

I was so excited that we found a place to park directly in front of my favorite restaurant that I didn’t notice that the power was out and the restaurant was closed. We jumped back in the car and circled the open air mall two more times. The mall where we were was indicative of every other place hit by this storm. It seemed as though every other store had power. We spotted a Chili’s with power. I parked underneath it and once again the boys and I piled out of the car. We ascended the staircase from the parking garage and ended up right at the front door. What good planning, until we noticed, of course, that the restaurant wasn’t open even though it had power—back into the car.

We decided this time we would head for the indoor mall across the street. We crossed a major intersection to get to it with no power. We drove to the parking lot behind the mall. Parked the car once again and entered through J. Crew.

We ate at the food court : (—not the lunch I had in mind. After we finished our high-fat, high-calorie, non-nutritional meals we went to Mecca, the Lego Store. The boys and I hung around in the Lego store way too long and then headed back to the car.

I called my husband. Still no electricity at home. Our car looked like a steam bath inside so I turned on the defroster and thumbed though the newspaper for a movie the kids and I might enjoy. No movie seemed to fit our time frame, so we decided to go home and put the Legos together, by candlelight if necessary.

I turned the key in the ignition, and nothing.

I turned it again.

This time I heard clicking.

How could I have worn down the battery so fast?

My kids did not want to go back in the mall. I called my husband back hoping he could come start my car. No way—he was doing damage control with the storm at our house. I called AAA and they said that a driver would be there in 1 ½ - 2 hours.

This was only the beginning of a very long weekend.

(to be continued)

Gardening tip:
After landscaping removes part of tree’s root system make sure to trim the tree to prevent dead branches and keep tree healthy. This is also help to prevent a tree from falling over during a 50-year storm.

Darwin tip:
Don’t park under a tree during a really windy and rainy storm. I can’t tell you how many parked cars I saw under fallen trees or branches.

Stumble It!

Comments

[Carol]

You are insane! What a storm, what a story.

[paree]

What an amazing story...it sounds so much better the 73rd time around. Can't wait for the sequel, 50 Year Storm II, starring Sly Stalone.

[misti]

Yuck! I don't wish the no power thing on anyone. After Wilma we went six days without power, but luckily it was October and a nice cool air came after the storm. I've heard horror stories on how it was after Andrew. one of my coworkers went two weeks without power and he lived in Coral Gables with all the banyan trees.

You're house looks very cute!

[chigiy]

Carol,
You're not the first person to say that.

Paree,
You've given me an idea. A movie, I could make it into a movie or a best selling novel and then I could dedicate it to you.

[chigiy]

Misti,
I really have no room to complain when I think of storms like Katrina and Andrew, but it's just funny how spoiled we are. You just don't realize till you can't plug in your hair dryer.

[Jacqueline]

Oh hey, Chigiy,
I'm with you -- no amount of complaining and retelling can adequately convey the horror of being without power with already stir-crazy kids.

I am sorry about your tree, but I love these entries, they provide a much-needed laugh. Paree is just jealous. ;)

[Annie in Austin]

What a great story, Chigiy, along with some scary illustrations.... but I don't think I'll give my adult children a link to your blog. They'd just wish they had a daredevil, physically courageous mom like you instead of a fuddy-duddy like me.

Maybe it could be a movie - who should be cast as the mom? Sandra Bullock? Cate Blanchett?

Patiently awaiting the next thrilling episode,

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

[MrBrownThumb]

I have to echo Carol you are insane. What a story and even if your friend was tired of hearing it-it was new and exciting to me.

The furnace went down last night and this morning waking up to the cold I was ready to kill someone. I don't think I could survive a day without power.

[Yolanda Elizabet]

Insanity is underrated as far as I'm concerned. ;-) What a story with great pics too, can't wait for the next episode!

[trey]

Monica and I totally missed the storm as we we're in southern California and somehow in our travels up the coast we missed the brunt of the storm.

Getting back to the nursery we found out it and the surrounding foothills we're out of power for four days while there are some people up here still with out power.

The nursery came trough o.k. with no downed trees such as yours. Lots of twigs and branches to clean up.

Having gone without power for five days a few years ago I can say the one thing I miss most is a warm shower.

[Curtis]

I totally understand you needing to leave and take the kids somewhere else so they can run their energy off. The kids would love for us to take them to ToysRus any day of the week. Makes me cringe.

Sorry to hear about your oak.

[Amber Shaw]

That Paree, she is such a publicity-hound, always making comments hoping to be mentioned in your blog!