Stormy Weather

We had another storm last week. Yawn.

This time the wind blew hard enough to finish the 

collapse of our gazebo.

Then we got a nice 12 inches of fluffy, white snow.

Just a normal week out here in the frigid Northeast.

Our mailbox got plowed over AGAIN.

The snow-plow drivers are expert

in the art of mailbox bashing. 

\\

I looked up...

and down our street and noticed that nobody else gets

their mailbox knocked over. 

Hmmmm

Was there some bribe...or...tip we forgot to pay

for mailbox protection?

The Hurrier I Go, The Behinder I Get

Sweet Little Trio of Girlies

Gentle Reader, I realize my blogging has been scarce as of late--it's just that we have been inundated with disasters and storms and family milestones and drives to New Jersey and grandchildren arriving from heaven in need of snuggles and cheek-smooshing and other grandchildren in need of story telling and song singing. Not to mention homeschooling decisions and early college admissions in addition to church callings and career considerations and so on and so forth. 

It's always something.

Winter storm Nemo brought us about two feet of snow.

The snow-plow driver destroyed our mailbox (again).

I beat the storm to New Jersey and waited it out there with our son and his family. They were going to bless new baby June that weekend but Pops and Uncles were snowed in in Connecticut. So that has been rescheduled. 

Perhaps for next Spring.

If the snow melts by then.

We caught the fringe of the storm in Jersey and got about four inches of snow.

So the girls bundled up to play in it. Bailey decided her Tinkerbell pjs were just the thing to keep her warm.

 Norah had done some avantgarde face painting with a dry erase marker. Her installation included the office carpet. She's kind of a free-range artist.

Ready to head out. Cinderella Barbie was part of the entourage.

Back indoors, the girls found many ways to entertain themselves and Nana. Here you see Norah in her cat costume jumping over a box (their Dad is doing some remodeling--like father, like son) riding a horse. Bailey's(imaginary) horses are named Lula and Scarlet. When one gets tired, she rides the other. 

Baby June-bug all dressed up for church. June is the most pleasant of baby companions. She is content and laid-back and only fusses when absolutely necessary.

 She is surrounded by love and she is thriving  in it.

The last day I was there, Bailey woke up and stretched and announced

 "Let's have  a Valentine's Party today Nana!"

So we did. She decided  the agenda:

Make Valentines

Decorate

Dance

Tell Stories

Have Treats

So we did.

A good time was had by all.

One day playing "School"

Norah: "Close your eyes and say the magic word."

Me: "What's the magic word?"

 Norah (whispering): "Kitchen."     

When it was Bailey's turn to be the teacher: 

Bailey: "You can call me Miss Bailey or Miss Gale. Or you can call me whatever you want."

Me: "Can I call you Silly Sue?"  

Bailey: "MISS Silly Sue!"     

That's about it for now from our neck of the woods. 

Life is good.

If you need a little enchantment in your life, remember the magic word.

Kitchen         

Stormy Weather

The view from my window:

The beautiful Autumn leaves were stripped from most of the trees by

Hurricane Sandy

.

The view from inside:

Our emergency water supply and hand-washed dishes.

Our power was out for 5 days total.

Our generator supplied power to a select few outlets so

the boys adapted their waffle making. Gunner is

surprised to find the toaster on the floor.

We got off pretty easy--our tarps blew loose and one side of the wood pile blew over.

That was pretty much it.

Sam putting the wheels on a second generator we got near the end of

the week-long power outage.

Shane making use of the empty box.

Our hard-working wood stove kept us cozy and warm

through the storm.

As I always tell the kids: "A fire warms you twice--when you haul the wood to 

build the fire and again when you enjoy its heat." 

We got off pretty easy compared to those in New York City and New Jersey. It was inconvenient to be without power but we were well prepared and the gas stations in our area were open and had power restored pretty quickly. Andy and I both filled up our cars before the storm and Andy had several big gas containers at the ready for our generator. It's heart-breaking to see the devastation along the coastal areas. They are still without power and there is no water or sewer service. They wait in long lines for gas --and that's with gas rationing. The local news channels carry the real stories of the problems and the suffering still going on. Even those who thought they were prepared were caught off guard with how bad the storm was in those hardest hit areas.  It was ironic to see on the news a sign in the window of the FEMA office: "Closed Due to Weather"

Our stake is joining with other stakes in the region this weekend to help with clean up. We will be clearing out and disinfecting an apartment building. Most of the residents are elderly and single moms. I am grateful to be part of the church organization that helps and reminds us to be prepared. We have an emergency preparedness specialist who gets up every week in Sacrament Meeting and gives a spiritual thought and a practical preparedness tip. We were all encouraged to have generators and to store water and food. That same church organization gives us an organized and safe way to reach out and help those in need during and after the storm. 

The Calm Before the Storm

Tonight we have Hurricane Sandy bearing down upon us. Sandy is such a friendly name it doesn't seem ominous enough to match the dire warnings we are getting:

Worst Storm in the History of Recorded Devastating Storms.

 We have done what we can to prepare. We have a wood stove and plenty of wood if we should lose power for an extended time. We have a generator to keep our refrigerators and freezers going. We have flashlights and an abundant supply of batteries. We have plenty of hot chocolate and canned goods that can be heated on the wood stove. We have UNO cards to keep the youngsters occupied without electronics to entertain them.

So, before the power goes out, I thought I would post a few pictures of our recent family goings-on.

Let's start back with our trip to Jersey and Philly:

We enjoyed the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the

Franklin Institute. Pretty fascinating to look at the scraps of

scrolls and the jars they were stored in for hundreds of years.

Sam and I like to look at every artifact and read every

plaque. The rest of the family--not so much.

Here's a link to fill you in on some interesting facts about the scrolls.

I liked this ancient bathtub:

Here we are posing with a colossal likeness

of Benjamin Franklin: 

Little Norah trying some engineering experiments:

Miss Bailey launching rockets:

The Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background:

Being right there in the birthplace of our freedom, 

I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the freedoms that we take for granted. 

We are so blessed to live in this country and we need to do our part to

preserve those freedoms for future generations.

We enjoyed some lovely performance art by Bailey with an Autumn Branch while

we were waiting for our turn in Indepencence Hall:

This is the very room where our Constitution was debated and signed.

I was so emotional thinking of those who pledged their lives,fortunes and 

sacred honor in the name of liberty and freedom. 

Mason came to visit with Mama Shanna:

Our three precious grandbabies all enjoying

breakfast (chocolate Cheerios!) at the fun picnic table: 

Mr. Mason behind bars:

Norah's angelic little self

having fun on the swing:

A Princess Kitty Pumpkin carved for 

Bailey by Aunt Shanna and Uncle Shane:

The other cute pumpkins we carved one for Mason and one for Norah 

along with Bailey's:

The Gale boys never outgrow the ridiculous

shenanigans/wrestling that is

their form of brotherliness:

Oldest and Youngest Brothers: Scott and Shane

Pops and Mason testing out the new wagon/wheelbarrow...

And finally...Mason earning his keep:

The wind is picking up so I guess this is for real. I will take some pictures and

let you know how it goes here.

We are well prepared to weather the storm so I'm sure we'll be fine.