Beautifully Cruel
We arrived at my Ma’s house late on a Thursday night. Friday we went shopping, and out to eat, and worked on downsizing her and Gab’s stuff so that they could sell “The Farm” and move into an apartment in town. We worked and had fun, and never even considered turning on the news for a weather forecast. I whined about my cell service and slow DSL “You mean I can’t use my cell in my room?” “what do you mean you don’t have WiFi?” It seemed that I needed to be taught a lesson.
Gabs and I went to Wal-Mart (because that is just what you do there, it is not like there are other choices.) We were in and out in thirty minutes, when we went in it was raining, when we came out ice had glued her car doors shut. We barely made it down the steep gravel road to Ma’s house. By six AM Tuesday six inches of solid ice had fallen. The next day there were two more inches of ice and a few inches of snow.
The Farm was originally a horse farm and tobacco was raised in the empty fields. These fields are up on a hill, and are surrounded by forest and caves and bluffs and creeks. It has always been gorgeous. My Pa(maternal grandfather, Ma’s husband of 50+ years) was not able to do much farming for the few years leading up to his death and slowly the only animals on The Farm became mostly just pets. There were no crops, and it was mostly just a cute little house way out in the country, with family in other homes on other parts of the farm. When Pa died, my Ma had to sell some land, and has slowly but surely been selling the trees in her forest to lumber companies. When I got there I was surprised that I could see through the woods. As of Tuesday morning, there no longer are ANY undamaged trees in this once lovely forest. You can stand on their gravel road and see the bluff that JHJ and I used to hike to and have summer picnics. Every tree left is bowed and broken. The weight of winter stronger than their limbs.
All night and all the next few days we heard SNAP and CRASH every few moments. Of course limbs took out the electricity, and the phones. Of course every cell tower in the area was toppled. Of course the upstairs heater stopped working. Of course we could not get out for food. We ate a lot of cold canned tuna. I may never eat it again.
Before the storm when I was decluttering Ma’s house I found four old school oil lamps. They were filled with blue lamp fuel and I found them, um, not pretty. I put them in the give away pile. Good thing that that pile never made it out of the house because that was the only light we had for days.
The power miraculously came on for about 12 hours on Thursday, and then more limbs snapped and took out the whole county. It is still not back on. Gab’s high school is being used as a shelter and the National Guard is passing out MREs.
None of my relatives that live in various places on The Farm have gone to a shelter, but by day four in the dark, I thought we would all need to spend some time in a psychiatric ward. That was the day I cried over a wet sock and my mom cried over a window shade. The Son kept saying “I lost my Daddy!” and “Mama, turn on lights now, and I watch Dirty Jobs.”
After a few days the sounds of SNAP and CRASH were replaced by the angry growl of chainsaws as all of the trees on fences and blocked roads were cleared.
The ice fell off in chunks that would cut, my hand still is showing the wound from a maple tree.
Day three we had to get out of the house, avoiding walking under the trees, Gabs, The Son and I went sledding.
Little Bit, the farm dog, came to protect us.
We tried sledding on the road first, because of its lack of dangerous trees, but we kept winding up in a ditch.
Next we crossed the electric fence, no worries about it working, and tried out an old horse pasture.
It had slightly better results. Allows Gabs to demonstrate.
After that, I did take a few turns, alone and with The Son on my lap. The dog declined.
Needless to say, Ma did not get her surgery because we were trapped, and had no way to even get there. After the food started to spoil in the fridge, and the lack of bathing with something other than baby wipes became apparent, and the ice was melting from the roads, we made a break for it, and came home bringing Gabs and Ma with us. Gabs, The Son and I in my mom’s car, and my mom and Ma in Ma’s Cadillac with the huge limb shaped dent and smashed windshield.
I came home, smooched my darling husband, took a really long, hot shower, washed my hair twice to get the smell of kerosene out, and climbed in my soft, warm bed. Ma will be having her surgery here in our hometown on Friday morning, so those prayers are still welcome, please add all of my cousins and aunts and uncles that are still without power to your list as well. As for the Huckablogs? We are safe, warm, and most importantly, together.
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We are home. Showers and sleep and hot food have been had. Time with The Husband still lacking, so details to follow.
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