Windstorm...

The storm seemed to come out of nowhere overnight Sunday into Monday and we lost power Monday morning when a tree came down on the power lines not far from us.


Along with about 175,000 other people! We were fortunate that nothing hit our house, though we did have a small tree come down:

and the roof was blown off our little Rubbermaid shed:


Inside we stayed toasty warm thanks to the woodstove.

The girls spent the early part of the day in the basement, enjoying the residual heat from the baseboard heater:


By the afternoon the girls had joined us upstairs. The weather cleared enough so Sean and I could take a walk to see how the rest of the neighbourhood had fared. We encountered one our fave neighbourhood dogs, on guard as always:

With the return to standard time, evening came early, with a spectacular sunset:

Because we have a gas range, we were able to cook a proper dinner and enjoy eating it by candlelight. Then we sat on the sofa in front of the woodstove, talking and watching the flames and coals. Chloe took up her spot - she often sits with her paws just on the edge of the ceramic pad, as though she imagines a line there she shouldn't cross because it's too dangerous to get too close to the fire:

I forgot just how well the flash on my camera works!!

This morning Sean fired up the woodstove again and within 30 mins we were warm. Our one concern was the fridge and we finally started the generator when it became really clear we might not get power back today.

Sean then set off for work and the cats and I resumed our spots in the living room. I knitted for a while, then took a break to eat lunch and picked up a book. Next thing I knew, Chloe had discovered my knitting bag and climbed on top of it to snooze:

while Cleo appropriated her corner of the green recliner:

Just as I was getting ready to get a notebook and pen to write the old fashioned way, the house came to life again. Though it was nice to know we were back up and running, I was still kinda disappointed - blackouts always seem like mini-vacations to me and I wasn't quite ready for this one to end.

So now I've caught up on email and blogging, I'd best go clean up the pots and pans from last night and this morning and start on dinner. Tomorrow I'll write!!

Addendum - here's a video I took with my camera, showing the trees swaying in the 90 km/h + winds. Alas, it's not nearly as spectacular as it was in person.

Teresa

Currently Reading: Thinking of You by Jill Mansell