Here Comes Sandy

I guess the storm's a'comin'.  School's cancelled today.  And tomorrow.  Which means I've got three extra bodies around here in my space.  Good thing I like them.  They say a power outage is more likely than not, come nightfall and the high winds that come with Sandy's landfall a few hundred miles from here.

We've got batteries, water, and loads of food.  We're spending our apparently last hours of electricity today watching movies & news, charging i-things, baking, doing laundry & dishes, vacuuming, pretty much anything I can think of that we might need power for this week.  I will be bummed if we lose the contents of our well-stocked fridge and freezer, but so it goes.  Some day we'll get a generator.

In the mean time, we're keeping an eye on this tallest-on-the-street tree in our neighbor's yard. (It looks like one tree, but there is a short one on this side of the street, and a tall, tall one behind it by the white house.)

Also mourning a bit the fall foliage that may be blown off before ever reaching full color.  Hoping our sump pump can keep up with the water.  Crossing fingers Halloween will be OK.  And wondering what kind of natural event it would take to give MOM a day off.  I know, no such thing. 

I'm keeping a few activities in reserve, for if and when we lose power, like a blanket fort, nail painting, easel painting, story telling, pillow fights, et cetera.  The rain's really coming down, the wind starting to pick up.  We are hunkered down with The Weather Channel and some peach pie we baked out of the freezer this morning rather than risk losing it.  Our evening plans include homemade pizza and carving pumpkins.  So don't worry about us, we'll be OK.

Snow Madness

Posting things a bit out of order here. Eventually I will write about my birthday. In the meantime, I just had to post some pics from all the snow. It was seriously crazy. Combined with our 2-foot storm in December, it has officially been the snowiest winter in DC since they started recording in 1899.

Timeline:
#1 Feb 3-4 A couple of inches, enough to cancel school one day and throw everyone off just a little.
#2 Feb 5-7 A massive dumping - started out slow, picked up speed overnight and unloaded for 30+ hours. We got about 22 inches; other areas got up to 3 feet.#3 Feb 9-10 Another hefty dump - we got about 8 to 10 more; just north of us got even more. I think this one was even officially called a blizzard because of the high winds.

The combination of #2 and #3 closed school for an entire week. The federal government was closed almost all week. Don't get me started on what happened when they reopened. Potholes, visibility and lanes hindered by mountains of snow, absolutely no street parking, major issues with Metro (so what's new?) A complete disaster. Local governments are already over-budget on plowing and salt. Fire stations, post offices, schools and other cheap public buildings sustained major roof damage, some collapsing.

We lost power for about 10 hours during storm #2. It went out overnight and was pretty cold when we woke up. But we bundled up, had cold cereal for breakfast. Ed shoveled a path to the shed for some firewood (it was a cozy thought even though our fireplaces don't seem to provide any actual warmth.) We played some board games and I started to make my way through a huge pile of magazines I've been meaning to look at. The girls got to use their princess flashlights they got for Christmas. I panicked a little when the fridge started to smell - to lose all that food I stocked up on! But then the power came back on late morning and in the end it wasn't a big deal. Especially compared to people we saw on the news who were without power for 4 days or more. Ed's boss in McLean moved her whole family to a hotel for the duration.

But I promised pictures so here they are!

Saturday morning, Feb. 6 when we woke up. I thought it was so amazing that Ed's car (across the street) was almost buried. Little did I know it was just the beginning:
Ed and the girls got out in the snow almost every day. Ginger's stamina is pretty good for a 3-year-old but Hazel is a complete Eskimo! She could stay out in it ALL DAY (if she never had to pee.) I'm so glad I took action after the December storm and got her some proper snow pants, boots and mittens:
Sunday, Feb. 7:
Ed's car on Feb. 7:
By the time storm #3 came around things were getting a little desperate, so we built a blanket fort. Gave the girls a whole day of entertainment (the picnic lunch inside was especially popular):
After or during storm #3:
Ed's car on Feb. 10:
Remember that snowman from this post? Here he is five days later:

And check out this igloo our friends made - they even slept in it!

Me, I like being snowed in. Everything is cancelled. No obligations, no errands, no schedules. No having to worry about what to wear (it's getting pretty bad at 7 months pregnant.) I'm a home body. It's not like I got a lot done. Having everyone home all day makes more work for Mom - food to make, entertainment to provide, messes to clean. I still liked it, though. I hope it snows again soon!

When Life Gives You Snow...

Make snowcones.

And a snowman.

Making Something

Truly. I am not a deeply crafty person. My mom and sisters quilt and sew things like dresses and Halloween costumes. I know how to run a sewing machine. I've dabbled in knitting, beading, clip-making, even stained glass. But I lack the conviction and patience (I try not to think I lack the talent, though that may also be true) to excel in the creative arts.

Once in awhile the creative bug gets to me - "creative" as in to create something, not as in coming up with something original and clever. It's usually satisfied through baking - oh, what therapy those sweet aromas bring! But once in a very long while I want to make something else. It happened today. Maybe it was the cozy-day-at-home thing with Hanna pouring and whirling around outside. Maybe it's all the amazingly crafty blogs and Etsy shops I've visited lately. Just a little something simple, but unbelievably satisfying.

I pulled out the big bag of scraps unearthed from the back of Mom's sewing closet - adorable but small pieces of vintage and retro fabrics - and made two little drawstring bags for the girls' rock collection. My kids LOVE their rocks and sometimes play all day just clicking them together and putting them in and out of containers. Hazel pretends they are the eggs of her rubber lizards or whatever other animal is handy. Ginger never leaves the house without one in each hand. They're just simple colorful rocks bought at a beach souvenir shop, and recently replenished at the Natural History Museum gem shop. But they're all over the house and car with no assigned storage place, so I made these little bags:

Reverse side:

When Ginger woke up from her nap I gave them to her, full of rocks. She played all afternoon with them. Talk about satisfying.
Then, wow, how the creative bug feeds itself! In the same bag of fabric scraps was a smaller bag of buttons scored out of the depths of Mom's sewing drawers, mostly from the 60's and still in original packaging. I got one of Ginger's onesies and sewed a few on.
Not much, I know. Anyone could do it. But a sense of accomplishment and loving domesticity came over me and lingered for the rest of the day. It just felt good to make something.

We're Having More Fun Than You

Usually I think you're having more fun than me, but not this weekend.
Friday I took the girls to Homestead Farm in Maryland (about 45 minutes away.) It was a miraculous weather for August - warm and sunny but not too hot and humid, with a delightful breeze whipping around. Peaches and thornless blackberries are perfect to pick with small kids because they can reach them! The peaches were amazing - huge and soft and so, so juicy! We haven't had peaches like this since Colorado. After we had picked a few, Ginger bit into one. That's when she gave up on picking and climbed into the stroller to focus on devouring her peach. When she was done, her shirt was soaked and she had peach juice all over her chin and up to her elbows. And she was sucking the pit. Then she asked for more. The blackberries were just as wonderful. Big, juicy, and very black. Of course, no pick-your-own farm is complete without resident kid-friendly dogs, and there were even some animal pens to walk around and look at. A patch of pick-your-own zinnias rounded out a fabulous summer morning. What will we do with all that fruit? Watch this space later in the week for peach and blackberry recipes!

Saturday we hit the Arlington County Fair. Admittedly, Arlington is a small, non-rural county so the fair was small-scale. But that's all a family like us needs. A couple of rides, some balloons and an ice cream cone will do it. We picked up a few free pens at the various booths and had Hazel fingerprinted at the Sheriff's table by "Paul." She thought it was great; the next kid waiting with his mom was crying and terrified. Ginger was too young.
Saturday night we christened our new grill - yes, we went charcoal this time - with a couple of steaks and ate outside because it was such a nice night.
Sunday we attended our new ward, Arlington 1st, made up of equal parts ex-Falls Church and ex-Arlington ward members. Sacrament meeting ran extra long because they released everyone who are now in other wards by name from their callings. The Bishop and his two counselors were the speakers, and all three spoke about the positive aspects of the boundary changes and our new ward. However, one of the counselors' comments were especially memorable. He said he grew up as the son of a minister in another church in Detroit, and he told of a time that two congregations attempted to combine. There was great contention, territorialism and politics involved and in the end, about one third of the congregation left the church. He said how miraculous it is to have a church organization that is led by revelation, and whose members are personally and individually converted, so that when big changes come up we just roll with it because of our faith. I was happy to see a smaller congregation, get one of the padded benches for a change, and see a few familiar faces. After sacrament meeting we had a "brunch & mingle" to meet and greet (and also because the ward isn't staffed enough yet to teach all the classes.)

How was your weekend?

Mi Propio Spray King

Next week after the movers are done we're taking off to a family reunion way upstate in the Adirondacks, at a cute campy cottage "resort" place. It looks fun but a little rustic and you can imagine my disappointment when I learned there's no air conditioning. So I sent my mom on a (successful) mission to hunt down some battery operated misting spray bottle fans. Which reminded me of two funny stories.

Mi Propio Viento

Summer, 1996. I'm in an intensive Spanish program at BYU right before my mission, which included living in the Spanish house with a cursedly fast-talking Dominican, having classes all day, watching Spanish soap operas and ending with a 2-week trip to Mexico in enormous 14-seat vans. I thought it was hot in Utah that summer. Until we got to Mexico. It was hot in the vans. It was hot on the beach. It was hot in the hotels. It was hot in the restaurants. It was hot in the homes of Mexican church members with whom we stayed. My buddy roommate was Melanie Maddox (now Henrich) and she was hilarious, the stories we could tell! And our Spanish got pretty darn good that summer. Somehow one of us had a tiny battery-operated fan that came in a package labeled "Personal Fan", which we translated into "Propio Viento", having left our Spanish-English dictionary and Dominican roommate back home. We were so hot that whole trip we had that propio viento with us wherever we went, constantly desperate for a turn, and demanding of the other, "DA ME MI PROPIO VIENTO!" It became a standing joke, synonomous with "I'm hotter than hell!"

King Me

Summer, 1995. Cummings family reunion at Lake Winnipesaukee, NH. At the end of the week Dave and I take off in his at least 10-year-old no-guts Dodge Colt to drive to Utah for school. Power nothing, no air conditioning. It's hot. For four or maybe five days across the country in the summer heat, including creeping up hills and mountains in the far right lane with the hazards on as the Colt decelerates 40mph, 30, 25, 20, etc., barely making it over the ridge. Our only entertainment an unreliable tape deck and each other. And an enormous spray bottle Mom gave us that said SPRAY KING on the label. The passenger was in charge of spraying down the driver as needed, and then sometimes blowing on them for added cooling effect because the Colt was moving too slowly to create wind through the open windows.

As needed all the driver had to say was:
"KING ME."

Things I Won't Miss #3: Window Air Conditioners

I guess I should be thankful we have anything. Two years ago there was a major power outage in Queens in the middle of summer and hundreds of thousands of people and businesses were without electricity for 2 weeks. Even so, I'm a spoiled brat and like my central a/c in hot and humid weather. But I've put up with window units ever since we got married seven years ago and I'm done.

First, they're loud. We tried to watch a movie the other night and had to turn it all the way up to hear over the a/c. But Ginger sleeps on the other side of that wall and it woke her up. Bummer. The white noise is nice to sleep to, though, if your husband would only leave it on all night.

Second, they're inefficient. When you "install" one in a rental place you can't make it very permanent so we jimmy-rig all kinds of foam, wood, cardboard, rags and towels around them to try to make them tight, but there are always holes and leaks.

Third, they distribute poorly. Even with the right size a/c for a large room, and a big standing fan in front blowing the air around, it only feels cool nearby. Other than that it just takes the edge off but the backs of my knees are still sweaty, and I hate that.

Fourth, and this is the real reason this is on my mind today besides that our temps went up 30 degrees in the last 2 days here - it's especially frustrating when your husband, who sleeps closer to the unit, puts the a/c on a 4-hour timer before bed, thinking you won't notice and wake up at 3am drenched in sweat and gasping for air, so disoriented from sleep and heat you can't figure out why you feel like you're suffocating.

I'm looking ever so forward to central air (and double checking it before we go to bed.)

Daily Disaster

Just in case you thought I was kidding about the never a dull moment thing, here's an article on the storm that hit early this morning, and here's a quote from it:

"A heavy storm with tornado-like winds ripped the roofs off several houses in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, damaging several houses and downing a number of trees."
Makes you want to move here, right? I'll switch with you!