Our power came back on between 11pm and midnight last night. It turns out there was a terrible explosion at one of the substations. They were able to re-route some of the power lines to get every body's electricity back on. Everything was back to normal by this morning.
Except this is a holiday weekend. We live in a place that people are drawn to in the summer months. It is very popular with retirees from Northern Virginia and Richmond. It also attracts people who can afford vacation homes. This is a phenomenon that started in the late 1980's and continued in the early 1990's when I was actually living in Richmond. So we are slowly becoming one of those resort towns that have a population surge during the summer months. Today the traffic in town where I work was awful between 3pm and 5:30pm.
All I wanted when I got home was a Margarita and to sit on our deck and relax. I needed to pick up 2 things on the way home. Margarita mix and limes. We have 2 Supermarkets in town. The first had NO LIMES AND NO MARGARITA MIX. So off I go to the other store. Found limes but no Margarita mix. I had to improvise and buy some Margarita flavored drinks to mix a drink.
Anyhow, it's the beginning of the summer season. Traffic is busier. Restaurants will be crowded. The river will be noisy with motor boats and jet skis. And Margarita mix will be in short supply. Oh well, I will start to stock up in June in preparation for 4th of July celebrations.
This holiday is thanks to all the men and women who gave their lives in combat for our country. Please remember all the military men and women currently risking their lives for our freedom. I really shouldn't be bitching about limes and margarita mix!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Lemons and Lemonade
We are currently without electricity. It went out around 6:30pm tonight. Tried to call Hunter on his cell phone. He works for the local electric cooperative and I thought he might know what was going on. He did not. Turns out it is a region wide outage. Friends and family all called here wanting to know if we knew any scoops on when it would be back on. We haven't a clue.
Luckily, I had decided early today that I didn't feel like cooking tonight. Sometimes when the weather is warm I like to do a little antipasto platter for us. So I picked up the ingredients on the way home. I was able to blanch some tender asparagus from the garden and mixed them with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar before the power went off. So when Hunter got home, we dined al fresco on the deck. The heat of the day gave way to a nice spring breeze. We sat enjoying our simple meal while watching the sunset. A very Mediterranean style dinner, if you will.
Now I'm sitting here listening to the sounds of generators up and down our neighborhood. We had Hurricane Isabel go through in 2003. Power was out for some people for 2 weeks plus. That was after an ice storm spoiled Christmas in 1998. Again, people were out for weeks. So now, anybody who can afford it has a generator. We actually bought one with a push start after Isabel. When things like this happen, Hunter is usually pressed into service by the electric co-op, so I am by myself. There was no way I could start our other one which you had to pull on like a push mower or an outboard motor.
Hunter just got a call from his boss. Turns out a substation had an explosion and there are around 12,000 people without power. Sounds bad, but they think they might have it under control by 10 or 11pm. Of course there's more to it than that. But when he starts talking about substations and such, it all sounds like the teacher from the Charlie Brown specials to me. "Bwahh wah wahh wahh. Bwah wahh wonh wahh wahh." I think some wine is in order for the rest of the evening.
Luckily, I had decided early today that I didn't feel like cooking tonight. Sometimes when the weather is warm I like to do a little antipasto platter for us. So I picked up the ingredients on the way home. I was able to blanch some tender asparagus from the garden and mixed them with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar before the power went off. So when Hunter got home, we dined al fresco on the deck. The heat of the day gave way to a nice spring breeze. We sat enjoying our simple meal while watching the sunset. A very Mediterranean style dinner, if you will.
Now I'm sitting here listening to the sounds of generators up and down our neighborhood. We had Hurricane Isabel go through in 2003. Power was out for some people for 2 weeks plus. That was after an ice storm spoiled Christmas in 1998. Again, people were out for weeks. So now, anybody who can afford it has a generator. We actually bought one with a push start after Isabel. When things like this happen, Hunter is usually pressed into service by the electric co-op, so I am by myself. There was no way I could start our other one which you had to pull on like a push mower or an outboard motor.
Hunter just got a call from his boss. Turns out a substation had an explosion and there are around 12,000 people without power. Sounds bad, but they think they might have it under control by 10 or 11pm. Of course there's more to it than that. But when he starts talking about substations and such, it all sounds like the teacher from the Charlie Brown specials to me. "Bwahh wah wahh wahh. Bwah wahh wonh wahh wahh." I think some wine is in order for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Family Time
We are currently on vacation with my parents and my brother's family in Orlando. My nephew turned 6 today. We celebrated by spending the day at Disney's Magic Kingdom. This is my first visit since 1978. Epcot was just in the planning stages back then. Boy, it's a lot different than I remember. And very crowded today. In the morning we managed Pirates of the Caribbean, the Jungle cruise and the Haunted Mansion. Those were my favorites from back then. We took a break and then went back tonight. It worked out that by the time we made it over to the Dumbo ride, the fireworks were in full swing. So my nephew got to end his 6th birthday celebration riding Dumbo with the sounds and sights of the fireworks going off all around us. A truly magical day!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
One Year
I just realized that today marks the one year anniversary of the acceptance of our home study and the day we became "a waiting family". Last year I wondered what it would be like - the waiting. Even though I had no idea what to expect from this waiting period, I think my expectations were reasonable. I certainly didn't think we'd have a child by the end of last summer or not even before the end of the year. But I did not expect after one full year that we would still just be waiting. I thought something, anything would have happened by now. But, nothing. Nothing at all.
I'm not going to get all down on myself. Looking back I realize how little I understood the adoption process a year ago. For about 2 years before we took the plunge, I read everything about adoption. I asked people we knew who had adopted. I thought I was pretty adoption savvy. Now I realize I didn't know squat.
Our social worker turned me on to the blogger world. She suggested it as a way to network for our adoption. I don't know if this little bit of blogging is really doing us any good. But I am thankful to have found all the adoption bloggers I currently read. And I find new ones everyday. They are people from all sides of adoption and they are the ones who have really taught me what I now know about adoption today. The kind of things you can't learn from a book. They have shared real life experiences, the good and the bad and the ones they are still trying to figure out for themselves. Situations that I never would have dreamed about. Most of all, they opened our eyes to open adoption. Last month we sat down with our social worker in order to change our home study to include open adoption situations. So I thank you, adoption bloggers, for taking the time to document your journeys and for giving me encouragement.
I have also recently been branching out and visiting other blogs. I think it started with a few blogs which featured gardening and from there to blogs about travelling - two of my favorite pastimes. I've also started to read another bunch that fascinate me so much. The expats. It's amazing that they are so brave to pick up and live in a foreign country. It is something I dreamed of when I was younger, but never had the nerve to do. All of these blogs provide such interesting reading. Looking at gardens and listening to tales of travel is a great way to keep my mind occupied during this waiting period. So I thank those bloggers, too.
And so now, with a year behind us, I will take all that I have learned and look forward. As Scarlett says, "After all, tomorrow is another day!"
I'm not going to get all down on myself. Looking back I realize how little I understood the adoption process a year ago. For about 2 years before we took the plunge, I read everything about adoption. I asked people we knew who had adopted. I thought I was pretty adoption savvy. Now I realize I didn't know squat.
Our social worker turned me on to the blogger world. She suggested it as a way to network for our adoption. I don't know if this little bit of blogging is really doing us any good. But I am thankful to have found all the adoption bloggers I currently read. And I find new ones everyday. They are people from all sides of adoption and they are the ones who have really taught me what I now know about adoption today. The kind of things you can't learn from a book. They have shared real life experiences, the good and the bad and the ones they are still trying to figure out for themselves. Situations that I never would have dreamed about. Most of all, they opened our eyes to open adoption. Last month we sat down with our social worker in order to change our home study to include open adoption situations. So I thank you, adoption bloggers, for taking the time to document your journeys and for giving me encouragement.
I have also recently been branching out and visiting other blogs. I think it started with a few blogs which featured gardening and from there to blogs about travelling - two of my favorite pastimes. I've also started to read another bunch that fascinate me so much. The expats. It's amazing that they are so brave to pick up and live in a foreign country. It is something I dreamed of when I was younger, but never had the nerve to do. All of these blogs provide such interesting reading. Looking at gardens and listening to tales of travel is a great way to keep my mind occupied during this waiting period. So I thank those bloggers, too.
And so now, with a year behind us, I will take all that I have learned and look forward. As Scarlett says, "After all, tomorrow is another day!"
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day
I've been having a little pity party today. Got up this morning and checked out Facebook. Everyone seemed to be wishing Happy Mother's Day. Post after post, "Happy Mother's Day". I finally had to just get off the computer. It's hard to go another year still be waiting.
Then I decided, no more belly aching. I'm gonna celebrate what I do have. And that is 2 great mothers. We took both sets of parents to brunch today and had a great time. So here is a tribute to my 2 mothers.
My mother is amazing. She was the oldest and the only sister of 5 siblings. She married at the age of 19 and had me and my brother before she was 21. She was a stay at home mom until my brother and I were teenagers. Then she went back to school and became a registered nurse. She has worked at the local hospital for over 25 years. She is one of the funniest people I know. We have had our trials over the years, but I swear, if I could go back and hand pick my mother knowing what I know now, I would pick her every time.
And then there is my mother-in-law. She is such a kind person. Hunter gets his sunny disposition from her. They have the same laugh. She never stops moving. She has a wonderful, encouraging personality. She is semi-retired from her teacher's assistant job. She is the glue of our family life. She fought breast cancer and won. She has taught me to can vegetables and she turns our apples and pears into applesauce and jam. I am so fortunate to have such a lovely mother-in-law.
So another year passes. I hope that I will one day live up to these two wonderful mothers. Happy Mother's Day!
Then I decided, no more belly aching. I'm gonna celebrate what I do have. And that is 2 great mothers. We took both sets of parents to brunch today and had a great time. So here is a tribute to my 2 mothers.
My mother is amazing. She was the oldest and the only sister of 5 siblings. She married at the age of 19 and had me and my brother before she was 21. She was a stay at home mom until my brother and I were teenagers. Then she went back to school and became a registered nurse. She has worked at the local hospital for over 25 years. She is one of the funniest people I know. We have had our trials over the years, but I swear, if I could go back and hand pick my mother knowing what I know now, I would pick her every time.
And then there is my mother-in-law. She is such a kind person. Hunter gets his sunny disposition from her. They have the same laugh. She never stops moving. She has a wonderful, encouraging personality. She is semi-retired from her teacher's assistant job. She is the glue of our family life. She fought breast cancer and won. She has taught me to can vegetables and she turns our apples and pears into applesauce and jam. I am so fortunate to have such a lovely mother-in-law.
So another year passes. I hope that I will one day live up to these two wonderful mothers. Happy Mother's Day!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Gulf Coast Oil Spill
My Dad made a living fishing on commercial menhaden boats in the Gulf of Mexico years ago when I was in high school and college. It's not uncommon for men in this part of Virginia to go south and fish at the plants based in Louisiana. I have many friends and family whose livelihoods depend on a good fishing season down in the Gulf. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. An old friend of mine who is a captain of a Menhaden boat (also known as Pogey boats) was interviewed for this clip.
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