Indeed! I am very lucky that the centerline of the tree did not directly strike the house. There are (were) major branches that struck the house at various points as it fell forward and did a fair amount of damage but nothing like what would have happened if the main part of the tree hit it.
I love my house, she is a grand old girl who can take a good punch. 
MeanJoe
Our power was out from Sunday night until about 10:30 this morning. Belmont County Ohio. Don’t ask me about my opinion of AEP. :mad:
First Energy, which supplies much of northeast Ohio, says that all but about 47,000 of its customers have been restored. However, those unlucky people will remain unlucky until Sunday, I heard on the radio this morning.
I finally uploaded the few pictures I took of my poor little tree and the larger one down the street. They should be visible on webshots here.
Damn, you must live near me.
We just now got power back. I’ve had juice long enough to fire up the computer and check my e-mails, then I popped straight in here. (Not that anyone missed me, but still…)
Our fridge/freezer contents were a total loss, except for a tub of margarine which tastes kinda funky, but we’ll have to make do until I can get down to the store. We were the last chunk of Reynoldsburg to get power restored. The whole rest of the apartment complex (something close to 3,000 units) and all the surrounding houses except for one small side street had power back Sunday night. The two older kids are grounded, so haven’t been able to play outside, so it’s been interesting here, to say the least. Thank Og that’s over! 
We apparently need a Columbus “Survived the Storm” Dopefest!
I dunno, they say you’re pretty mean…
It wouldn’t be the first time a hurricane prompted a festival. At Davidson in North Carolina every year they have the Hurricane Hugo Flying Objects Festival (a juggling festival). I’ve been a couple of times and it’s a pretty good fest.
We got power at noon today, and it’s still on. I’m not sure how much to trust that, though. I think it’s safe to clean out the rest of the fridge (condiments and such) but I’m not sure about putting the contents of the coolers back in.
Seeing as we weren’t supposed to get power back until Saturday, I’m…um…glad? I guess?
I’d definitely be up for a Dopefest if anyone’s interested.
Nah, I’m a nice guy. Honest. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown or Skald the Rhymer - those are some mean characters.
(Next one to make a “Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand” reference WILL be hurt)
I’d never make that reference. My husband’s name is Joe and he complains about it all the time. It must be really irritating. (But at least you both have cool songs associated with your name! Mine is crappy.)
I’m up for a Dopefest on the super-cheap. Like, say, a picnic in the park?
We’re totally in. Can it be one of the parks that has those grill things? Will bring charcoal ‘n’ meat.
Sundays work best for MrWhatsit’s work schedule.
I should clarify, I get the “Hey Joe” thing as a result of the username. My “real” name is not Joe. 
I could get out the chainsaw and bring a LOT of firewood for a bonfire! (I’m kidding!)
Sunday is not too bad, I have a dinner to go to that evening but might be able to make a day-time picnic type thing. I was thinking more like happy hour at a pub but the weather is lovely*.
I have power, never lost it. Several co-workers don’t yet have power and I’ve offered laundry service, cooking, camp equipment loans, whatever.
The funny thing is that the spokesman for First Energy, Mark Durbin, who is on the air or quoted in the paper on the hour promising that repairs are moving as fast as possible, is an old chum of mine from high school. Every time I hear him on the radio or see a press conference all I can think is “you poor bastard, I wouldn’t want your job for a million dollars.”
I got very lucky. I lost no trees (which was a miracle…my maple tree in the front yard was bending practically 20 feet), no shingles, and didn’t lose power. I had a lot of sticks and such come out of my trees, but no worse than that.
My neighbors weren’t as lucky. A lot of downed trees in the neighborhood, and a lot of roof damage (probably 40-50% of houses lost shingles…some significant amounts).
My office lost power for 3 days, regaining it on Wednesday. My wife’s school was closed for 2 days. Columbus city schools were closed at least through yesterday (didn’t see if they’re still off).
The wind was crazy. In fact, here’s a compilation of 4 images, long exposure (3-4 seconds each), showing the movement of my front maple tree. It was almost sustained at 50MPH, with higher gusts. I know the airport recorded 75MPH winds.
Are we doing a Dopefest?? I’m good for this Sunday if it’s going down, but I’ll have to know before tomorrow, so I can get whatever I need and such. (It’s sounding more like a potluck than a picnic, but I can deal with that. Looks like I’ll be bringing chips.)
Update: American Electric Power is still a steaming pile of fecal matter.
Five and a half days - still no power. No utility crews in sight.
YAY! Spontaneous Dopefest… Where?
I agree with your assessment of AEP. I hope you get power soon!
I live between Dayton and Cincinnati. We were without power from Sunday afternoon until 4am Friday. We lost a lot of food but were able to save the freezer’s contents by taking the whole thing to our son’s house. He lives 2 miles away out in the country yet his power was only out 1 day. We lost a lot of branches but the trees still stand.
The winds were measured at 73 mph in places. The damage is extensive. As of Friday only 10% of my coworkers were still without power.