Yes, I know the Dopers in Dopeville have wondered aloud,
*Where is Shirley?"
"We Miss Her Mundane LifePoints ™ "
“Has she been crushed to death by a falling tree?”
“Shirley Ujest, Alive or Dead?” *
Fear not, Dopers, after losing power, phone and cable last Friday with the ice storm, I am alive and well, as well as buried in dirty laundry that I’m catching up on (if that is possible.) The ice storm shellacked everything. Then on Monday morning, we got about 4 inches of snow that just screwed up everything further. Yeah, Spring Time In Michigan!
Here in my little neck of the woods, our roads were periodically covered in fallen trees and branches. If you left for most urgent supplies (ramen noodle soup and crayons) it might take you twenty minutes to finagle the usual 5 minute drive to a main road. Moving small trees and somewhat large branches out of the way were common place. Returning home the same way, there was no guarantee of a clear route. The main roads were blocked too by the fallen branches of mighty oaks or entire trees.
It’s kinda sad, really, to see a hundred year old oak tree collapse from the weight of the ice and snow. Our oak tree, on our property line, is probably over a hundred years old, lost only one smaller branch, and it had the courtesy to land on our property, not over the road, causing more traveling headaches.
At one point, less than 100 yards from my drive, a tree (newly fallen) blocked my path. A young buck driving a jeep wrangler was behind me, and easily turned around on the narrow dirt road made much narrower by the fallen branches. Turning around an econoline in less than ideal spacing is not for the feint of heart, but, I posess one of those skills that can never be put on a resume, and after several long moments of wrestling with the steering wheel and inching my way back and forth, I successfully turned the beast around. And, this warmed my heart, the young buck in his wrangler, waited for me, to see if I would be ok.
It looks like a tornado went through. Chainsaw sales are up. So are generator sales too. The power company guys are working 18 hour shifts.
Our phones are still out. Fortunately, I have my cell phone to make urgent phone calls to Mr. Ujest to bring survival food, pizza. Though my cell only works outside the house. (do those cell phone booster thingies - as seen on infomericals - really work?)
Our generator ran all day, turning off at night to conserve not only the fuel, but the need for me to make a run to the gas station and getting a headache from the fumes bringing it back home.
My father in law, showing absolutely no signs of graymatter, decided to venture out yesterday in the snowstorm. He slid in his econoline into a highway ditch and partially rolled his van. Remember, campers, he is paralyzed. He is fine. His van on the right side is in need of major repair (windows cracked, the panels need replacing. dunno about the lift) , I still don’t know the how’s and what’s of his accident and how he got out and frankly, I don’t care. He got a very annoyed lecture from my husband, who had to take off work early to go pick his dad up at the McDonald’s where he was waiting (at least a two hour wait). So, now, my MIL must suffer with him home until the van is repaired. Through his stupidity everyone else suffers. None more than MIL and my husband.
I have had a taste (again) of what it would be like to be Amish and I say, verily, it is not for me.
Thus, I conclude four days worth of drivel.