This is a small departure form the usual content of this blog, but I feel I must explain my abrupt absence on Friday and until now. This crazy ice storm hit my town. Maybe you heard about it…our governor has declared a state of emergency.
The little news that we get tells us that Northern Worcester County, MA is one of the hardest hit areas. That is where I live. My once beautiful, charming New England town looks positively war torn. In fact, as it was happening on Thursday night, it was like trying to sleep through a fireworks show….where the fireworks could, at any moment, come crashing through the roof.
Trees are down everywhere. We have no power, which means that the pump for our well does not work either.
So without heat, electricity, water, and with only a fireplace, we have been camping in our living room and availing ourselves of the services at the “shelter” that is our local high school…and I haven’t been able to blog.
My driveway (about 300 ft long) runs down the middle of this picture. It became relatively safe to venture out about mid-day on Friday…too many falling trees to venture out earlier. It took all day and a lot of chain sawing (no more accidents, thankfully) to get to the main road.
The potting shed / future chicken coop.
Our patio
but it is pretty…
The power pole is dangling over the road where we normally drive.
I am at a local cafe, working on my husbands work computer. At my house, men from Ohio are working right now. When I saw them arrive, I truly felt, after three days of cold and dark, that the cavalry had arrived to save us. They are making no promises for restoration today or tonight…or even tomorrow, so I may not be back online until Tuesday or Wed, but help has arrived and I am hopeful to be back up and running soon.
The extent of ice storms is always slow to reach the public, for some reason. I remember the big ice storm in northern New York back in the 90s. Were it not that I had some friends who worked the utilities in our area going up there for weeks at a time trying to get services back up and running, I wouldn’t have appreciated the extent of the damage.
I expect Rachel Maddow will have some rants about infrastructure next week, what with her area in western Mass. getting hit hard, too.
Best of luck during recovery.
Wow Rochelle,
We had only heard regional news of the ice storm, but didn’t know it had hit you guys specifically so hard. Sounds like you are all doing the best you can and I hope you are staying warm. Hang in there. We’re thinking of you.
Mason in Colorado (yes, I read your blog!)