Sandy: The Good and the Bad

Well, (Hurricane) Sandy was the weather event of my lifetime, and I hope she doesn't get outdone.  Even inland, the winds were strong enough to tear pieces from the house.  We lost a few shingles from the roof and a piece of trim.  Several of our neighbors had more damage, including fences knocked over and siding from the chimney being stripped away.  (We have no fireplace, so that wasn't an issue for us.)

The winds were so loud!  Beyond the howling of the winds, we could hear some of the damage that was being done. The piece of trim, for example, slammed into our bedroom window, slashing the screen and chipping the window pane.

My husband stepped outside during the storm and got pelted by the rain and wind.  A gust of wind blew the glasses off his face, and he didn't even realize it.  Amazingly, he found the glasses in the grass!

After the storm, my husband and son collected all the pieces that were blown into our yard:  roof shingles in at least three colors, vinyl siding, a neighbor's hard-plastic playhouse that had tumbled across the street.

We had power and phone service through the storm, but both cut out the next morning.  The power was out for three days; the phone, for five days.  In the midst of that we found that our cell phone carrier is apparently out of business:  we purchased more minutes for our prepaid phones, but were unable to load them.  So we had to be very careful how we used our few remaining minutes.

On Sunday our church family came together for a worship service, and the fellowship--before and after--was wonderful.  Someone mentioned to my husband the idea that, if we don't take a Sabbath, God will sometimes force us to.  I agree.  Those days without power, without phone, without *gasp* Internet were some of the most restful days we've had recently.  I read voraciously.  My husband and son played several games of Risk.  I had the chance to make dinners without time pressure, even though I was challenged to cook for several days with only the foods we had on hand.

All in all, it definitely could have been worse.  We've seen pictures of the devastation at the Jersey Shore.  (The amusement park we usually visit was badly damaged.  In typical New Jersey fashion, people were trying to break into the arcade games and change machines as they floated down the streets.)  We know people whose power is still not restored.  We've heard of people who've had trees crash through their roofs.  We could have had much more damage to our house, and I feel blessed that we are safe.