News and Notes from Linda Lou
January 13, 2007
It's another snow day. In the Cascade Mountain foothills where I live,
we don't really get much s now.
A little snow storm here and there, a little snow on the ground for a
day and then it's gone. But when I look outside I see a foot of crisp,
icy snow. This is Day 4 that it has been snowing. Right now, the sky on
the horizon is grey, intermixed with ruffles of black and white clouds,
and a clear blue sky floats high above. The studio is covered in snow,
sleeping like it is saying, "Give me a rest out here!"
In case, you have missed the great weather news from the northwest, a
wind storm
 blew
through here the week before Christmas. Much of Seattle and its
surrounding areas were in the dark for a week and longer. We are to the
east of Seattle and we were out of power, cell service and phone service
for 8 days.
We don't own a generator, but we do have a nice fireplace and we sat in
front of it for a good portion of the 8 days. When we weren't in front
of the fire, playing gin rummy, we were outside burning enormous piles
of downed trees and branches or cutting firewood (of which we now have
enough to last us 3 years).
Our daughter, K.D., came home from college on the Day 2. We tried to
prepare her, we tried to tell her it was 44 degrees in her bedroom and
that she'd be sleeping on the floor in front of the fireplace. I don't
think she believed us at first, but once she had been home for a few
hours, she and her brother were off, trying to find friends who had
power and hot showers to share. By day 4 she'd picked up a temporary job
in a nice warm building called Target.
By day 5, I was getting concerned. We host the annual neighborhood
Christmas party every year. It would be coming
up real quick. Some neighbors had driven to find cell phone service and
about 10 families called or stopped by to make sure we knew they would
be coming for the party regardless of whether there was power or not.
I'm not one to panic, but a lot of people sitting around in heavy coats,
gloves and hats, huddling together to stay warm in my living room, under
the unlit Christmas tree had me a little worried.
By Day 7, I panicked. I made all 4 of us scramble by flashlight.... lit
the Coleman outside to get hot water, did all the dishes, cleaned the
cold bathroom by candlelight, found all the balls for the foosball
table, made sure the decorations were all in place and looked just right
in the lantern light, went up in the cold loft to find the Christmas
carol sheets, went to the market, still lit by generator, bought cold
food and drinks, made my son, Ian, find ice in the yard from somewhere,
sent Ian to Starbucks (there was finally one open some miles away), made
Ian set up the train set in the playroom, even though there was no
electricity for anyone to run it, told KD, yes, you have to answer the
door and take coats even though no one will want to give you
theirs........
Day 8 POWER!!!!!
The power company told everyone to go slowly, turn on a little light
here, a little light there, go slowly. Within a few minutes, our outdoor
lights were bright and shiny, all the garland railings were full and
glowing. Manheim Steamroller was belting out God Bless you Merry
Gentleman, and our 16 foot tall tree, which some people call the Dr.
Seuss tree was alive with tiny white lights.
Yep, we waste no time around here. The doorbell rang, the coats and hats
came off, the food every family brought was placed on the table. The
fireplace was still glowing and the merriment was lively.
And when the time was right, we lit a small bonfire in the backyard,
like we have now for 20 years, and with our flashlights and song sheets,
we stood in a large circle and sang until we couldn't sing any more.
What a Christmas!
So, now after having watched the news, there are new concerns that ice
and more snow may cause another power outage. K.D. is back at college.
Ian has escaped to the summit to snowboard. My husband, Bill, has gone
to the store for batteries and another flashlight or two. After I find
the deck of cards, I am going out in the snow to get more wood for the
fireplace and make sure the studio is all tucked in.
Linda Lou
Live for color and the rhythm it creates
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