{"id":1121,"date":"2012-11-04T11:29:24","date_gmt":"2012-11-04T16:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/?p=1121"},"modified":"2012-11-04T20:47:54","modified_gmt":"2012-11-05T01:47:54","slug":"hurricane-sandy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/2012\/11\/04\/hurricane-sandy\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Sandy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I\u2019ve had a personal meteorologist for many years.\u00a0 My sister can truly attest that I am, indeed, a hurricane.\u00a0 She\u2019s been living in the eye of this hurricane forever and only ventures to the gale force winds on occasion. \u00a0\u00a0So the least they could have done, if they were going to name an official hurricane after me, was spell my name right.<\/p>\n

Frankenstorm, superstorm, up until Sunday many believed I\u2019d make a right and head out to sea.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been known to do that at least twice a year.\u00a0 By many I mean the been fooled before, won\u2019t get fooled again brethren.\u00a0 Never the less with skeptiscm in my heart I picked up milk, cleared my deck, filled my tank, stashed some extra cash and waited to be proven a fooled again one more time.<\/p>\n

Sunday confirmed the path and we hunkered down.\u00a0 The winds began coming up Sunday night.\u00a0 The girls had been out and done their best synchronized poop on command, \u201churry up\/good girls\u201d (bless you yet again Shawn Stewart for advocating the \u201con command\u201d part of life with a dog) and we were in for the night.<\/p>\n

Monday morning we completed the remaining odds and ends; pulling soup from the freezer, making a tiny little lasagna and a peach upside down cake (God forbid there\u2019s nothing to eat) were completed.\u00a0 Candles ready, flashlight, Kindle, phone, Ipad fully charged.\u00a0 Finished all the work I had brought home and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.\u00a0 Took a long hot shower, have some dinner, pour a glass of red , check the storm coverage and at 9:15 we\u2019re dark.\u00a0 Ok. The girls had already been \u201csynchronized\u201d so we\u2019re good.<\/p>\n

Coinciding with the dark came a call from my dear friend Edith in Georgia.\u00a0 I would know the sound of that voice anywhere and was thrilled to hear it coming through the dark.\u00a0 She was doing what she does, checking in, praying and handing her love over to us right as the lights went out.\u00a0 Some light comes from a cherished thirty five year friendship not the power company.<\/p>\n

Not much to do now but pile in the bed with the girls and wait out the brunt of the storm which was in full swing. By now you all know that my Lina is a scaredy Mary Pit mix. \u00a0Every howl of the wind and she scooted a little closer.\u00a0\u00a0 The sound of the limbs snapping in the enchanted forest was distinct, heart breaking and very close\u2026we managed to sleep and woke only a few times during the night.\u00a0 I throw a hell of a storm.<\/p>\n

The early morning brought torrential rain and then a drizzle\u2026let\u2019s go girls.\u00a0 7:15 out the door, synchronized, back in the house and the rain and wind pick up again.\u00a0 Of course we got a tiny reprieve to poop, let the blessings begin.<\/p>\n

Terri, Muriel, Mom and I had been in almost constant contact through the mess.\u00a0 Everybody was safe.\u00a0 The number of people texting me to see if we were alright was heartwarming and welcome and reassuring.\u00a0 My text replies to all at this point:<\/em>\u00a0 No power, no damage, old school coffee, could be worse, we\u2019re fine.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no surprise to anyone that I love my coffee so you won\u2019t be surprised to find out I was the only one on Stowe Lane with an old school aluminum, stay cool handle, two cup, percolator and ground Starbucks (thank you Bill Sides, I adore you for keeping me stocked). \u00a0I call it my Father\u2019s coffee pot (my Mother says it\u2019s hers but everything above the basement was hers) because he used it to make a pot of coffee each day around mid-morning when he came home for \u201ccoffee and\u2026\u201d\u00a0 I think he was forbidden to use the glass pot at one point when parts became difficult to get and extinction wasn\u2019t far behind.<\/p>\n

As the coffee began to perk on the stove the sound and smell transported me back so many years that it brought tears to my eyes.\u00a0 Today in the eye of the storm I would be having coffee with my Father. \u00a0There is an art to making perked coffee that I was lucky enough to learn and master long ago and remember to this day.\u00a0 You begin with a medium flame and as soon as the coffee starts to perk you turn it down to low.\u00a0 The smell is intoxicating.\u00a0 How long do you let it perk?\u00a0 Well my Father timed it this way; turn it down, go to the bathroom, set the table, get two cookies out of the cookie jar, pull the milk out of the fridge and it\u2019s ready.\u00a0 The things you remember from a hundred years ago.<\/p>\n

Text to Muriel: I have coffee<\/em>.\u00a0 Soon my Stowe Lane family was gathered at my table having coffee, yet another blessing. \u00a0It takes a certain kind of person to drink perked coffee; it\u2019s stronger by virtue of how it\u2019s passed through the grinds.\u00a0 Needless to say our energy abounded for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n

The girls and I took to our front room, our office, for a day of reading.\u00a0 It\u2019s the brightest room so we wouldn\u2019t require flash lights, candles or lighted battery powered devices.\u00a0 I warmed chicken soup on the stove, made crostini in a skillet and more coffee, then more reading.<\/p>\n

A calm in the weather gave way to a walk around the neighborhood.\u00a0 The damage seemed minimal so we felt blessed again even though we had no power.\u00a0 More synchronization and we headed back home out of the snap in the air.<\/p>\n

While I was enjoying my home, albeit without power, many others were in total devastation.\u00a0 I had only the minimum contact with the outside world through what people were sharing on Facebook.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t have a battery powered radio and frankly I don\u2019t think I would have allowed myself the total absorption that most people feel compelled to do in these circumstances.\u00a0 I prayed for them, I wished speedy recovery, but I didn\u2019t really know anything beyond my own little family.<\/p>\n

My mother was also without power but her building is a senior housing building so their generator kept the heat on at a minimum and they had hallway lights.\u00a0 Clever woman that she is, she perched herself in the doorway of her apartment and read by the light of the hallway emergency lights.\u00a0 I thank God for her recent cataract surgery to bring back her love of reading over anything else.\u00a0 And bless her for instilling that love of reading in both my sister and I.\u00a0 The blessings continue.<\/p>\n

My sister, on the other hand, was sitting in a parking lot staging area awaiting our friend, her best friend, Maria\u2019s family\u2019s rescue from their home in Little Ferry.\u00a0 A dam broke in Moonachie and reached all the way into neighboring towns creating an emergency evacuation situation.\u00a0 Maria now resides in California.\u00a0 My sister did what we do; I am in awe of her and so proud of our family.\u00a0 My mother was lamenting about feeling so helpless wishing she could do something.\u00a0 She\u2019s spent her whole life \u201cdoing something\u201d she can sit down now, we got this.\u00a0 Brava, Terri your friend Maria could not be more grateful that you got her family to Uncle Gus in Bergenfield.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Our evening meal was the left over lasagna warmed in the skillet.\u00a0\u00a0 Pour a glass of red; put a log on the fire and bursting through the door comes Muriel for a check-in\u2026and a bottle of wine\u2026and a can of Coke for Martina\u2026and D batteries for the downstairs neighbor.\u00a0 Another evening without power safely tucked away on Stowe Lane.<\/p>\n

Halloween is cancelled.\u00a0 The New York City parade can\u2019t make it through the village because the village seems to be gone.\u00a0 There is no access.\u00a0 Our Governor has rescheduled Halloween for November 5th<\/sup>.\u00a0 I am not a fan of our Governor but I must say he handled this situation with decisiveness, tough (and sometimes quite funny) talk, common sense and candor.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t believe in many of the things that are important to me but I applaud his crisis management.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

By day four my Mother is asking, What day is it?\u00a0 I had to actually look at my phone to find out.\u00a0 It\u2019s Thursday Ma.\u00a0 That there is more reading and more coffee and more reflecting is an understatement.\u00a0 I take a little ride each day just to charge my phone and remember what it feels like to be out and about.\u00a0 There isn\u2019t much open and the desolation seems very Cormack McCarthy in areas.\u00a0 I can see how people get to a point where they don\u2019t want to leave their homes.\u00a0 You start thinking 56 degrees isn\u2019t that cold just put on another layer.\u00a0 I don\u2019t light the fire until it gets dark.\u00a0 I\u2019ve begun walking the dogs each time I feel a bit cold and it seems to do the trick.\u00a0 We are indeed synchronized in this household.<\/p>\n

Second round of texts:\u00a0 Still no power, got hot water, got firewood, gas range, the now envied by all percolator, all in all quite blessed.<\/em><\/p>\n

My friend Ev packs up her kids and brings them up for showers and breakfast.\u00a0 They have no power, and since their house is all electric they have, well nothing.\u00a0 Ahhhhh, there is nothing like a good hot shower to make a person feel human again.\u00a0 I venture out to the store for non-refrigerated items and just to keep my driving skills and my phone charged.\u00a0 I\u2019ve cooked off some of the items in the freezer that have started to thaw and discarded most of what remains in the fridge.\u00a0 The beauty and the blessing of a new refrigerator is that the seal is perfect.\u00a0 Much of the food hasn\u2019t even begun to thaw yet.<\/p>\n

When the lights come back on I actually gasp as if it is the most wonderful gift I\u2019ve ever been given.\u00a0 My eyes fill up as I realize that so much is happening in our state that is devastating that it\u2019s hard to keep up.\u00a0 People have lost their lives, some are still missing, and the damage to homes and property will keep us busy for quite some time. There are gas lines and bickering, I can\u2019t be the only one who remembers 1974 for crying out loud. \u00a0Much of our childhood\u2019s memories have been washed out to sea with the boardwalk institutions.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Through this I remain grateful, for my home, my girls, my family, the Aunt Ms, my friends, neighbors and\u00a0my colleagues who are all safe.\u00a0 For the piece of nostalgia that has grounded the \u201cit\u2019s just stuff\/it\u2019s just cars\u201d mantra.\u00a0 To be able in all this mess to have coffee with Thomas has been a priceless moment brought about by a hurricane name Sandy.<\/p>\n

Final text:\u00a0 Power back, thawed out nicely, feeling pretty damned blessed, love you<\/p>\n

To all of you who checked in and stayed in, I love you.\u00a0 Terri, Mom, Muriel, Martina. Edith, Kyle, Kate, Nicole, Sandra, Marge, Barbara, Ev, Bill, Justin, Matt, Nancy Lynn, Tonine, Ki, Bev, Ally, Marlo, Jeanette, Fran, Penny, Linda, Corrine and Mick.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hurricane Sandy reading list:<\/p>\n

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Robert Fulghum, Ivy Books (or anything by Robert Fulghum)<\/p>\n

La Bella Lingua, My love affair with Italian the world\u2019s most enchanting language, <\/em><\/strong>Dianne Hales, Broadway Books<\/p>\n

Walking Wisdom, <\/em><\/strong>Gotham Chopra with Deepak Chopra, Hyperion Books<\/p>\n

How to Hepburn, Lessons on living from Kate the great., <\/em><\/strong>Karen Karbo, Bloomsbury Books<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve had a personal meteorologist for many years.\u00a0 My sister can truly attest that I am, indeed, a hurricane.\u00a0 She\u2019s been living in the eye of this hurricane forever and only ventures to the gale force winds on occasion. \u00a0\u00a0So … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fathers-daughter-moments","category-pause-points"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p27hQ5-i5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1121"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1132,"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1121\/revisions\/1132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ordinarylegacy.com\/word\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}