Weathering the Hurricane

How's your hurricane?

So far mine's been pretty good. I realize it's only been 24 hours and I also realize that this storm has caused significant destruction across the country However, this evening my younger daughter asked if it was still "hurricaning" out and I thought turning the experience into a verb was a great idea - it's not just a thing but an ongoing event. And certainly one that calls for some optimism and humor.

I have to admit I was a bit jaded about the initial warnings; maybe it came from years of snowstorm threats and predictions that (literally) never amounted to much. But then I too got caught up in Weather Channel mania and joined my fellow northeastern residents in the frenzy to buy batteries, bread, water, and wine (please, i know i wasn't the only one who added that to the supply list). I wondered if I was doing too much or too little, but figured we could always eat toast while drinking and playing flashlight tag.

We spent Saturday moving furniture and other potential flying objects into the garage; my kids tried to balance cushions on their heads while my husband and i hauled the heavy stuff. We joined two other families for an early pot luck and pizza dinner. The children played and yelled, the adults ate and drank, and all were home and asleep before the rain arrived.

We were awakened by the tell-tale beep around two a.m. - the power was out and the wind had picked up. Thank you iPhone, thank you Verizon, we were able to access the town home page, the Weather Channel (how happy were they!), and the CL & P website (how unhappy were they!)

Given the tornado watch, the strengthening wind, and the number of windows in our house, we decided to head to the basement. The kids, the dog, and my husband and I slept together on the pull out couch. The dark and the quiet down under were equally spooky and soothing, and we were all grateful when daylight arrived.

We waited and watched. We typed and texted. We were fortunate to have a portable generator and were able to turn on some lights, flush, and have one working tv with a built in DVD player. My kids were scared and excited by the storm, and thrilled they could watch The Sound of Music in its entirety in one sitting, My husband was ecstatic that the generator was working. My dog was confused why she was being allowed to sleep on the bed and No one was waking her for a walk.

And then it passed. After all the warnings, after all the worry, it moved on. We ventured outside and counted downed trees and branches. Neighbors emerged and gathered. By evening our house was full of families and food. Everyone emptied their fridge and the table was covered with leftover this and thrown together that. The nine children ran in circles between the yards and ate as though they hadn't been fed in days. The eight adults chatted, cooked, and cleaned as though they always shared one kitchen. The three dogs settled on the porch as though they were doormats.

It was loud, and messy, and warm. It was what everyone needed. It was what you hope happens when neighbors become friends.

Who knows when the power will come back on? Who knows when the roads will be cleared? Who knows when our children will actually start school? But I do know who will be coming back over tomorrow so we can finish off whats in the freezer. And that's the silver lining on this cloud called Irene.