All better now

Everything's finally back to what passes for normal at la casa de Basil. The power was finally restored this afternoon, and Comcast service resumed tonight. The tree is out of the tree, thanks to a neighbor and some hired help. Missed work in the process, so there's that still to make up. But, that doesn't really matter.

A lot of people had it a lot worse. Some houses in the neighborhood has electrical boxes torn off the side. One other had a tree in a tree. Only, it was a full tree in a tree, not a partial tree like I had. And that one is still there. A neighbor's pine tree didn't fall on another neighbor's house because the pine tree got stuck in an oak tree. That could still turn out bad, so despite my silly rants, I actually had it pretty good.

The things I've experience most during and after Hurricane Matthew is a lack of misfortune. And I'm not complaining. Lacking severe misfortune is a good thing.

My sister wrecked my mother's car, complete with my mother inside it. Something about running into a tree that fell on the road in front of them while they were taking a two-lane back road at nearly midnight the night the hurricane hit. They're all okay. Well, apart from making decisions to be on a two-lane back road near midnight in a hurricane. But that's just them. The car's being repaired. They're counting their blessings.

Yes, we got through it all without injury or major damage to residences. Some inconvenience, but that's all.

We are truly blessed.

I really need to get my tree out of the neighbor's tree

Hurricane Matthew came by for a visit this weekend. Friday, actually. I was out of town anyway, and had events in Perry on Saturday and Millen on Sunday, so it was Sunday night before I got a chance to see what all Matthew had wrought.

I did know that the power went off at 8:36 Friday night, because, well, I have it tell me things like that. And here it is Monday afternoon, and the power isn't back on yet. Georgia Power says I'll have service by 10:00 tonight. They, as well as the local EMC, have had workers out all day and all night working on things. I have no complaints. Sure, I wish my power was one of the first back on, but I can understand them focusing on nursing homes, restaurants, grocery stores, and such. Or so it seems.

Now, we've had hurricanes before. When David came through in 1979, it hit closer, but it had already weakened by then (thanks, Florida). When Hugo came through in 1989, it was more powerful than David, but further away. We even managed to get in some football during that Thursday night strike.

Matthew, though, was more of a problem than either of those. At least, it seemed to put down more trees and tree parts in very inconvenient locations. Driving out of Millen, for instance, there were several traffic lights out on U.S. 25 in Statesboro. Most people knew to treat such circumstances as a four-way stop. But some didn't. You know what you call dumbasses like that? Dumbasses.

Anyway, same was true for Claxton (the place famous for fruitcakes -- the kind you have at Christmas), Glennville, Ludowici, and Jesup. Yes, those are all real places. Brunswick, where my son lives, is in pretty good shape. They have power, at least.

Me? No power. But I do have a tree in a tree. The tree that's in the ground is actually the neighbor's. It just hangs over into my yard. Free shade!

The tree in that tree is my tree. Well, actually, it's part of my tree. A good chunk of it, at least. And, I need to get it out of the neighbor's tree. The neighbor isn't there, so the neighbor doesn't know my tree is in their tree. I'd kinda like to keep it that way.

So, any tips on getting a tree out of a tree? I've tried offering it treats, but it just won't ... leave.

Snow Day

[Geeks of Doom - Facebook]

Yeah, I know. We aren't used to snow around here. We have no plan to deal with it. And, since the roads ice over, we're slip-sliding all over the place in large vehicles weighing several thousand pounds.

I'm a 100 miles southwest of Atlanta, and the roads here were iced over. That means when you travel at a snail's pace, foot off the gas, but have to press the brakes for a stop sign or a pedestrian or another car or something, you start sliding and skidding, traveling forward at about 20° off-center. Not a good feeling, particularly if you're not used to it.

Schools closed, many businesses and agencies closed, and a lot of people had a vacation day. Some of us worked. And, because a lot of people didn't show up (some nearby counties closed all their roads), we actually got some stuff done.

Go ahead and make fun of us. We can't handle snow. And we have no desire to learn. We can handle hurricanes. Heck, we play football in hurricanes here in Georgia (Yes, I was at that game). You won't see any hurricane-related scandals here. But snow? You can keep that stuff.

Normal. Or what passes for it around here.

After several days, the situation at the house has improved.

We're now to the point where there's just a hole in the roof.

And, yes, that's an improvement.

The tree is still down in the back yard. Or what's left of the tree after getting it cut up to get it off the roof.

The phone line is still down. Oh, the phone works. Mostly. Touch tone doesn't work, for instance. Pulse dialing does, as do incoming calls.

And the DSL works. Mostly. Download speed is supposed to be 6 Mbps. It's 3.5 Mbps, which is on the low end of what passes for acceptable. Normal for here is between 5 and 6 Mbps.

But, like I said, the phone line is down. On the ground. It runs from the house, across the yard, to the road, across the road on the asphalt, and to the pole on the other side of the road. We still have Internet access, though. For now.

The cable is still down. Oh, we are picking up the channels on the TV and TiVo. But the cable is down. It runs from the side of the house, across the ground, until about half-way to the road, where it droops from the other lines running across the yard.

But, we have power.

The electrician got the box on the wall yesterday. And the building inspector signed off on the work today. The power company reconnected the house and got power back to us late this afternoon.

Still waiting on the insurance company to send someone by. But the delay isn't entirely their fault. So, I'm trying to be patient.

Hope to hear from them soon. The cable folks said they'd have a man by Thursday to fix the cable. The phone company said they'd have the line fixed by Monday upcoming. And, yes, they know the line is laying on the road.

So, the good news is that 5 days after the storm, there's a hole in the roof, we haven't heard from the insurance company, the phone line is laying on the road, and the cable is down.

Yes, that's the good news.

That sums up what kind of week it's been.

What's the point of being homeless if you have to go to work anyway?

First, let me thank Frank J. and everyone at IMAO for their kind words of support.

Okay, not everyone had kind words of support. Still, it was touching. At least they spelled my name right, even if some pronounced it wrong.

With those niceties out of the way, I must say that this whole getting displaced by a tornado is starting to get on my nerves.

First, the good news. On Friday night, the Weather Channel online (on my CrackBerry) said that we were under a tornado warning, and that one would be in our area at 9:17.

They nailed it. At 9:17, the sound of the rain gave way to a gosh-awful noise, and the lights went out.

That's the good news: we got hit with a tornado when they said we would. Aint' technocracy great!

The rest, though, falls under the category of "bad news." The tornado tore down the large tree in the back yard and put in on the house, knocking the power lines down and ripping the power meter box from the wall.

Of course, on Easter weekend, there's no getting an electrician to come by. Especially until that tree and the accompanying debris was out of the way. Saturday and Sunday, we got the side of the house cleared, but still no electrician.

Rather than spend the night in a power-less house, we stayed in a hotel. That was Saturday night. And Sunday night. And Monday night. And now, Tuesday night.

There's still no power at the house. Oh, the electrician got the power box and meter up. But there's no line running from the pole to the house. That's awaiting the power company, who's awaiting the inspector signing off on the electrician's work.

So, we've been having to stay in hotels since the storm.

Being homeless isn't fun.

But, having to get up and go to work? While homeless?

That's just not right.

I think, first thing in the morning, I'll put on dirty clothes, head to the Piggly Wiggly and grab a shopping cart, then wander around town, picking up trash bags full of thrown out bread from Subway.

Then I'll go register to vote as a Democrat. Several times.

After all, in for a penny, in for a pound.

I'm wondering what else I should be doing, now that I've joined that elite group.

Wx Pix

This whole being without electricity is not fun.

I never imagined the Blackberry would be my emergency communication conduit to civilization, but that's what it's been. More about that in a minute.

First, though, some pictures.

Friday night, we knew that the storm has set a tree against the house. But, being dark and all, I couldn't get good pictures.

Saturday, though, I was able to get a great view of the tree ... from the bathroom.

Not a view I recommend.

Outside, though, we could tell a bit more about things.

I've never seen the bottom of a tree before. Well, not one this size.

Okay, that's not true.

Growing up in southeast Georgia, we got some storms. Tornadoes would sometimes hit the area. Heck, turn on TV and watch the news crews anytime a series of storms hits. They are in the south, and talking to somebody who's "1 green, 1 brown." That refers to their socks, their eyes, and their teeth.

Yeah, we wuz just sittin' there when it sounded like this freight train come through. Got us thinking 'bout my Boxcar Willie 8-tracks. Then, alluva sudden, the winders busted in, and next thing I knew, I was sittin' underneath the dually.

That's not quite what it was like for us, of course. But still, growing up in areas frequented by tornadoes and hurricanes (and hurricane-spawned tornadoes), I'd seen big oak trees uprooted before.

But never up close. And never in the back yard.

The tree wasn't quite horizontal.

The house broke its fall.

The limbs caught the edge of the house, and did damage there. Broke through the roof, letting the rain in. Got water stains in the bathroom. But no actually breaking through the ceiling.

Knew that Friday night, after the worst of the storm passed.

After everyone left -- oh, I didn't mention that, did it?

Right after the tornado did its little part, the family nearby loaded up in their pickups and came over to the house. Seems the storm was upsetting folks, what with all that loud racket that sounded like a tornado, and the lights going out, and the thunder and lightening and all.

So, they came over to our house, where it was safe.

Of course, our house was the only house in the immediate area with a tree on it. So, I'm still trying to figure out what passes for "safe" around here. But, I'll learn, I'm sure.

Anyway, after everyone departed, the flashlights finally gave out. Don't know how old the batteries were, but they died.

So, in order to do a walk-though of the house, I had to use the only light I had: the screen on the Blackberry.

If you open up "Contacts" or "Messages" you get a mostly-white screen. And that can be used as a bit of light. Not a lot of light, but, after being in the pitch-black dark for a while, it's actually useful.

The walk-though showed no limbs through the ceiling or anything. Did see what looked like a slight discoloration, as if an area of the bathroom ceiling was damp. It was.

The next morning, we could see why. What with the tree sitting partially inside the roof.

We could also see why the lights went out.

The tree, although it's downward path was obstructed by the corner of the roof, was large enough so that its limbs extended the 10 or so yards from the house to the power pole that runs through the yard.

Limbs were on the lines there.

Oh, and the limbs between the main trunk (sitting on the house) and the peripheral limbs (sitting on the power lines)? Well, that little line that runs from the power line to the house ... no longer runs from the power line to the house.

No, it sits on the ground.

And, in order for that to happen, the power meter and box had to go. So, the tree took it out, too.

When the lights went out, the TV stopped playing. It does that. I had no idea if the cable went out, or just the lights.

But, Saturday, it became obvious. The power box was right above the cable box.

Cable's that black thing in the photo. The black thing that's hanging off the wall.

Oh, and that gray thing below it? Telephone box.

Which means, like I said Friday, "no phone, no lights, no Internet, not a single luxury."

Except for the Blackberry.

And, of course, the local hotels where we're staying, so we can wash, sleep comfortably, and such.

Today, it's off to Electrician Land to find an electrician. Got to get that power box back up, so the power company can get us power back to the house.

I've got stuff on the TiVo I still haven't watched.

At least I got my priorities straight, huh?

Roughing it

It was nearly 24 hours ago that the tornado took out the tree that took out the corner of the roof ... and ripped the power meter off the wall.

Today, the power company trimmed the tree off the power lines and restored power to those nearby. We're still without power.

We got someone to get the tree off the house and cover the hole in the roof, like the insurance company said do.

He and his crew didn't take the tree away; they just got it off the house. They did turn most of the tree into little tree pieces. And some large tree pieces. And left them in the yard. Right where the power company will need to get to restore our power.

Spent the late afternoon toting off tree limbs. About dark, decided enough was enough, and packed a bag.

We're staying at a hotel uptown.

Trying to get used to having electricity and air conditioning. And hot water.

The Wife just spent about 30 minutes in the shower. I'm about to charge the Blackberry; this whole blogging via telephone is taking some getting used to, but I'm just too tired to break out the laptop.

Oh well. Time to wash my nasty self.

I might get used to this whole running water and electric lights lifestyle again.

Yeah, I think that's for me.

Update: Got pictures posted.

Stormy weather

Well, here I sit on Friday, in the dark.

Big storm just went through and took out the power.

Big storm.

No phone, no lights, no Internet ... not a single luxury.

Well, okay, I do have the Blackberry. So, I guess I do have a phone. And Internet, through Blackberry service. And it's the only light I have, since the flashlight died a few minutes ago.

There's also a tree on the house. But not in the house, thankfully. I took a picture, but it's too dark to make anything out. But I'll have pictures when the sun comes up in the morning.

Maybe we'll have power by then.

Spatula Day

We don't get a lot of snow here. So, when it does snow, even a little bit, it's a big deal.

Yesterday was Snow Day.

Today? Spatula Day.

You see, because of the snow that was still on the car this morning, I had to do some snow removal. Not much, since we didn't get much compared to what folks up north get, but still, more than we're used to.

Anyway, the old credit card didn't do the job. Not to my satisfaction. The snow accumulated on the car was thicker than the card was wide, so my hands were cold.

So, into the house for a spatula. One of those wide ones that can be used on non-stick cookware.

Works great, too, for removing 4-6 inches of snow from a car windshield.

Ah, the spatula. We should have a National Spatula Day to honor this diverse little tool.

And a cookout.

Let it snow

We don't get much snow.

I don't, anyway. That is, I'm not used to it. I'm from south Georgia, and I'm not used to snow.

But, it snowed this morning.

I got up early, and tried not to make too much noise as I turned on the TiVo.

Later in the morning, I heard a noise come from the bedroom. Then, footsteps.

The door flew open, and out came running ... The Wife.

I thought something was wrong, at first. Then, I noticed the look on her face.

She threw open the door and gazed at the snow falling.

It took her a minute to realize she had on just her nightgown. I noticed right off. Perhaps it was the cold.

I grabbed my Blackberry and snapped a shot of the snow falling on the car.

She threw on some clothes and grabbed her Sony camera, taking several pictures of the falling snow.

And the animals. Not just her ducks and goats, the wild birds, too.

Of course, she made some phone calls. She gets excited about snow.

I've pulled guard duty in knee-deep snow on a mountainside in Korea. I'm not a big fan of snow.

But, we're lucky here. When we get some snow, it's not a lot; just enough to cause children's eyes to widen.

And it doesn't stay long. That's the best part.