Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike made himself felt at our house during the night. Around 3 a.m., we were awakened by a loud cracking noise, almost like a shotgun being fired, followed by a whooshing sound and a loud thud. Hubbie jumped up and looked out the sliding glass doors of our bedroom to see a large limb laying in the driveway close to the garage. A short time later, we heard another cra-a-a-ck, whoosh, and thud. When Hubbie looked, he saw another large limb in the driveway near the first one.

The wind continued for some time, but we heard no other loud noises, although the electricity did go out around 5 a.m. and was not on by the time we got up around 7:30. Actually, Hubbie got up before I did and was already in the yard surveying the damage. I dressed and went out to join him. There in the driveway lay the two large limbs, one very close to the back end of the van. Hubbie said he was glad the limb didn't hit the van, but when I looked, I saw there was a dent in the hatch.

Nestled in one of the limbs were two parts of the outdoor nightlight, which had been smashed as that limb crashed to the ground. At the back of the house, another large limb lay up against the sun room. Smaller limbs and a shower of leaves and gumballs littered the yard. Thankfully, though, neither our house nor Mother's was damaged.

Hubbie suggested we take a drive up and down the highway to see if anyone else had damage. But in the approximate five mile stretch that we drove, nothing seemed amiss, though the power was out in the whole area.

It's amazing how much we depend on electricity in our lives. Ours was off until about 11:30 a.m., and we were at odds to know what to do with ourselves. Starting lunch or doing anything that required water was out of the question, because we have an electric kitchen stove, and our water comes from a well (which depends on an electric pump).

Since we didn't know when we'd have power again, we wondered if we should load the most perishable food in the refrigerator into the camper fridge (which runs on both electricity and propane). But we decided to wait a while and see if the electricity came back on soon.

In the meantime, Hubbie opted to go outside and use the chain saw to cut up and dispose of the fallen limbs. Even though it was a bit dark in the den, Mother and I decided to go ahead and clear the mantle and put up fall decorations, which was on my list of things to do today.

Hubbie came inside shortly after the power was restored. "I'm sure glad the lights came back on, so I can turn them off," he said as he went from room to room switching off nightlights, closet lights, and other room lights that had been automatically switched to the on position when we entered the rooms during the power outage. Hubbie is a determined light turner-offer, sometimes turning them off as soon as Mother or I leave a room, even though we plan to be back six seconds later. Once, he went so far as to switch off the light in our very dark storeroom while claustrophobic Mother was still in there. He quickly turned it back on when she yelped.

We didn't have time to prepare the steak strips sauteed with bell pepper and onions and baked potatoes we'd planned to have for lunch, so Mother and I set out the makings for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, along with slices of watermelon (the last of the season) for dessert. When Hubbie came to the table, he said, "Oh! I see you cooked lunch."

Hubbie's son and my daughter called today. Son said the power is still out where he lives, a few hours east of us. My daughter said she and three of my great-grandchildren had to rush to the tornado shelter when the warning siren went off. She said she saw a small tornado dip out of the clouds but recede again before it touched down.

We feel extremely fortunate that our troubles with Hurricane Ike are so minor. Our hearts go out to those in Texas and other states who are suffering in the wake of the storm's destruction. We were without power for a week after a winter storm several years ago, and that was uncomfortable enough to deal with, so I cannot imagine what it must be like for folks who are now refugees, or who must return to demolished homes and property.