Power is a wonderful thing

I always wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder, living on the prairie, and making do with very little, but a few days without power starts to make one realize how truly difficult it was living on the frontier. I am very grateful to have a roof over my head, insulation in my walls, and many warm clothes. Laura had sod homes that leaked, no insulation and very few articles of clothing. Just to wash dishes the past few days, I had to boil water twice - once for washing and once for rinsing. How lucky I was to have a gas stove and not have to light a fire in my backyard. The romantic side of Ms. Wilder's books is still in my heart, but reality says I need my power tools - iron, Bernina, washer, vacuum cleaner and coffee maker. I am so happy the power was back on tonight!

Sandy has wreaked havoc in my small town. My yard just had many leaves and twigs blown down, and my neighbors lost a few trees, but there are parts of town where people aren't even allowed to drive yet. Some roads still have trees lying across them, and other roads have been washed away or have three feet of sand lying on top of them. This video by local videographer Chris Walsh shows some of what happened to our beach:



Hurricane Sandy - Misquamicut Beach from Chris Walsh on Vimeo.


These are some aerial photos that the state newspaper took: http://www.flickr.com//photos/ridotnews/sets/72157631891636224/show/

So many places have it much worse than Rhode Island, but we seem to focus on what's right in front of us. New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut are suffering in terrible ways. Let's hope the clean-up goes smoothly for all those affected.