Monday, October 31, 2011

Nor'easter

I won't be blogging for awhile - the wires leading to my house are buried under a pile of trees and limbs - so I have no electricity and no internet. This is being sent from another location. My three doggies and I braved the storm.

October 30, 2011 The Snowstorm in October.

It is very quiet
The power is off
Snow is falling heavily
I climb out of bed and look out at snow covered piles of broken branches
The trees are bending double
My driveway is blocked
I can’t get out and it will be dark in an hour
No work for me tonight, I make the call
I let the dogs out and feed them
The house is cold, I build a fire in the wood stove
I need more wood
I can hear the tree limbs cracking and crashing as they hit the ground
I move us down to the living room
Blankets on the sofa, warm socks, slippers, my headlamp
A battery radio
The dogs are curling up in front of the stove
Something heavy falls on the roof
It will be dark in half an hour
Still snowing
I go out for wood, down the driveway to the shed
Four trips with the wheeled cart, branches cracking above me
I walk to the end of the drive, and the road is blocked with fallen trees
The wires are almost on the ground.
Limbs, still thick with leaves are lying on the wires
I get the wood into the house
and it’s dark.
I heat water on the stove and make tea
I cook four eggs, one for me and one for each dog, and add cheese
The wood stove cooks very hot
We eat our eggs, listening
The branches are popping and crashing
I add more wood to the fire
The dogs are drowsy and warm
I wake up and the fire is almost out
I build it up again
It has stopped snowing
I listen to the silence
The trees have stopped cracking
I read some poetry, I can almost hear it speaking aloud in my head
Marley barks at something
I call the power company again
A recording
No snowplow
It’s very warm and cozy, Sunny snores
More wood on the fire
My computer battery is almost gone
The news says the turnpike is blocked
Route 309 is blocked
We are urged not to drive
OK
I have ten feet of driving space
I won’t drive
I will drink tea
I will keep the fire burning

5 comments:

  1. Hope the plows and repair men make it out to your area soon. Such a tragedy to lose trees to this past storm. May your wood stove continue to keep you warm!

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  2. Hope all is now well. I realized while reading this that you are near route 309. Are you in PA? I grew up not a mile from 309 in Hatfield.

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  3. Stay warm and safe! I got your email about Cassandra's ornament swap. I can't wait to start creating!
    I hope you get your electricity back soon. My family is in South Jersey, but didn't get much of this super early storm at all.

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  4. I hope you have your power back soon. It is very scary to hear the trees snapping all around, especially in the dark. We have had two trees hit our house in previous storms.
    Stay safe!

    Chrislyn

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  5. Linda,
    We lost our power too. I found it very peaceful. Somewhat chilly, but peaceful. I love your poem.
    Terry

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