Reflections from the Softer Side of Bad Weather

Over the past weeks, I've seen my Facebook and Twitter feeds nearly fill up with friends and family along the Eastern seaboard talking about first an earthquake, then Hurricane Irene, and now even more raining and flooding.  With the exception of the earthquake - weirdness, all around - the thoughts of the nasty weather than can hit the northeast and its after affects has me reflecing on my childhood.

Growing up on Price's Drive in Mountainhome, I remember losing power. A lot.  In the spring, in the summer, in the fall, and even occasionally in the winter.  While the rest of the Poconos - and even, sometimes, the rest of Barrett Township might be restored - we'd sometimes sit without power for days.

As an adult, I imagine this would be a large pain in the butt.  Especially with small children.  Who are as used to and spoiled by "modern conveniences" as I am - like a constantly-open refrigerator, satellite television, online games and flushable toilets.  (You can't get more than a flush or 2 out of a toilet when the power's out and no water is pumping - did you know that?  And you thought your mom was crazy for keeping buckets of water to use - it was to force flush the toilet.  Heh!  My mom would save every gallon jug on the planet and fill them all with water ahead of storms.  We'd have flushing ability for days.  Good stuff.)

What I remember, though, is the softer side of bad weather rolled in. 

Forget cooking on the stove - break out the sterno.  Something about cooking over sterno with it's flickering flame, while rain pounds down around, makes whatever food is being cooked taste all that much better.  And speaking of food, getting it was an adventure.  My mother stocked our basement like a nuclear attack was inevitable and would make our house the town food bank.  I'm. Not. Kidding.  But...it was the basement.  And with bad weather, there might be water accumulated on the floor, especially if the sump pump wasn't keeping up.  So going downstairs to retrieve some of the millions of cans of food could become an adventure. 

And the refrigerator!  And freezer!  Forget this worrying about food going bad after a day or so when the power was out.  Ours never did, even after several days.  We learned to pack the freezer tightly, so that the frozen foods insultated each other.  That thing would stay frozen for a week.  The fridge?  It became a game.  Ok.  What do we need for this meal?  Make a list.  Ok.  Remember which shelves those things are on?  Ok.  Now...3...2...1...GO!  And then we'd open the fridge and in 5 seconds or less gather all the necessary things.  If something was forgotten, too bad!  And hopefully you used up everything you took out, so another door-opening mission wasn't necessary.

And lights - I remember the softer side of lights.  My mother thought candles were dangerous.  And, considering the klutz that I am, that was probably a wise fear.  And flashlights were just plain clunky!  So we used hurricane lamps.  I. Love. Hurricane lamps!  In fact, I still have several in my house that I try to trot out a time or two a year, even though we've never needed them here.  A bottle of oil and a bit of wick would keep you lit for quite a long time.  You could read books, listen to the radio, or enjoy a game of cards, all by Hurricane lamp.

No video games.  No microwaves.  No generator - at least not at our house. 

Lots of radio listening - was another front coming?  Would power come back soon? 

Lots of talking - my mom and dad sharing their memories of storms long past.

Lots of reading - Lord knows, I've never had a shortage of books in my life.

Some games, some food, some sheer downtime.

Bad things happy when nasty weather rolls in...but sometimes, there are softer sides as well.

To those who endured or are enduring flooding and damage, those of us in drought-ridden Texas are thinking of you and hoping for the best!

Pool Time? Uh, no!

This afternoon, around 430 PM, when it was 700 degrees outside, Big Girl started begging me to go in the pool.

Now, a quick explanation. We have a $6 swimming pool. From the grocery store. Holds about a tablespoon of water and basically just lets the kids splash themselves and squirt the dog.

So I filled the pool with water...tepid water from the hose, but at least the spot where the pool is has afternoon shade.  Took 5 minutes to clean the pool out (dirt, leaves, etc., even though it was tipped on it's side!) and then another 5 to fill it.

Took 5 minutes to round up the kids' swimsuits and floaties (hey, gotta be safe in in a centimeter of water!) and then a combined 10 minutes to get the kids in their suits.

Turned them lose outside and drug a chair so I could supervise "poolside."

15 minutes later, they were done.

How's your math?

25 minutes to prep for something they were done with after 15.

But, oh! In those 15 minutes, they doused each other, the dog, their towels, me, and watered the dirt and cut firewood.

And I got a blood blister and a headache.

It's no wonder I have no interest in having a real pool in the backyard...we'd have to spend $40k and 3 months building something they'd lose interest in before it was finished filling.
Pool time? Uh, no!

A Terrible Toddler Malady! (Funny)

Big Girl just informed me that she has to go to the doctor right now so they can feel her tummy and tell her why she's so hungry...and then give her new stickers! Almost. Died. Laughing! What's your funniest toddler malady?

How bad is the economy? (Funny!)

(Hat tip to my Aunt Joan A.) THE ECONOMY IS SO BAD THAT: I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail. CEO's are now playing miniature golf. Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen. I saw a Mormon with only one wife. I bought a toaster oven and my free gift was a bank. Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America. Motel Six won't leave the light on anymore. A picture is now only worth 200 words. They renamed Wall Street " Wal-Mart Street ". When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room. And, finally... I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline. I got a call center in Pakistan , and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck.

Eliminate Your Blind Spot!

Good Tuesday morning evening to everyone, and welcome to Tuesday Travel Tips with Tiffany! To read previous editions, you can find them here.

I drive between 15,000 and 20,000 miles a year - and I'm sure some of you drive many more. This is the best advice I've seen to-date on avoiding blind spots while driving, and I simply had to share!

Over on Car Talk, a site hosted by NPR, this thought is posted:

For years, we'd been setting our side-view mirrors so that they gave us a view of the back corner of our cars. This is the way it's been done for generations - from grandfather, to father, to us! But we finally discovered something very interesting. The back corner of the car never moves. It always stays in the same exact place. So there's really no reason to keep an eye on it.

By moving the side mirrors farther out, you can line up all three of your mirrors so they have minimal overlap -- and you can see everything behind you and beside you.

Here's how to do it.

For the full article and instructions, click here.

And until next time...

Safe Travels!