The cold front that was due to roll in on Thursday morning, at 3am, was wavering. It was going to be early, then it was going to be late. To most of us, it didn't matter when as much as it was, and the memories of last year's storm was all too recent! What made it worse was that it had been given a name! Uri! I had not realised that this 'unofficial' name was common knowledge and as all the news broadcasts were referring to Uri as if all knew to what it referred. Perhaps I was in the minority! However, no one whom I asked, knew the name.
With the new laws in place, and the 'grid' being under 'new management', all eyes were on the Governor to see if we were going to keep the electricity running. Of course, no one could guarantee no power cuts, as no one can predict when a tree is going to fall on a power line, just as no one can predict where lightning is going to strike, but the politicians were having a 'field day'. Blame was being laid at the door of those who were 'in' before the black outs happened, by the opposition and those who were 'in' were trying to quell the fear that was very prevalent. The temperatures were not predicted to drop to last year's lows, but they were going down very low!
Wednesday morning was not particularly cold, but the front started to move in as it got quite windy. I got home from work and covered all my plants, and then decided that there was no way they would survive under a couple of sheets and tarpaulin, especially if the temperatures were dropping considerably below freezing. I uncovered them all and brought them into my house. My kitchen table was not easily accessible but it was all for a good cause!
There appeared to be no traffic out on Thursday morning, and Dana had found the petrol station to be closed. It was just below freezing. No one was in our office building, but the maintenance company came and gritted the path. This was the first time in our tenancy that anyone has thought to do this and I sent them an email thanking them for the courtesy. I had been ready with my salt!
"Come here", said my daughter, during the morning. I walked into her office, and the door to the corridor was open. I knew what she was going to do, and stepped outside in to the hallway. Grant, Samantha and I ran up and down the corridor, waving our arms and 'cheering'. Dana looked on in amazement. "What are you doing?" he asked. All three of us laughed and explained that no one was in the building. We were all alone. The dogs came out and joined in. It was, surprisingly, quite liberating! The kids went to get some lunch and Dana went to defrost his car. There was snow and there was sleet. The roads were going to freeze. By two, we decided to close up shop! There was no post, and most of the offices downtown were not open. Temperatures were dropping quickly, and I was waiting for the inevitable. The fact was that the 'inevitable' was not actually, 'inevitable'/ However it was considered 'inevitable' because every email I received from multiple media outlets had strongly indicated that it would be 'inevitable'.
As I had not anticipated going into work, I was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater. I did not bother getting changed. As I walked into the office, Grant gasped. "How are you going to work looking like that!" It is me who says that if I am not dressed for work, my mind is not dressed for work, so it has become a standing joke that I need to 'look the part'. "I don't know", I replied, looking down at my snow boots.
Most of the offices downtown were still closed, as were the State agencies, but we had come through the worst. Shop shelves had been emptied. Bottled water, milk and pasta had been bought up as if there was going to be a nuclear holocausts. At worst the electricity could have been turned off, but the 'non-event' had always only been predicted to last less than 48 hours. We actually left the office later than usual.
The temperatures dropped to 25 degrees overnight on Friday, and Saturday morning was quite chilly. I went for a walk, but stayed in the neighbourhood, It had been very sunny the previous day, and most of the snow had gone, but there was still a fair bit of ice. No one was out walking dogs, no doubt waiting for the sun to come out again. Once it did, the ice started to melt quite quickly. Samantha called to say she was on her way, but wanted to see if the car wash was open before coming to pick me up. It was not, so she arrived with breakfast! We drove north and did our shopping and by the time we headed back south, the car wash was open. We sat in the queue, which was quite long, and waited. The hand wash carwash is, in my opinion, the best in town. They are quick, efficient, and the vehicles that leave the lot are always shining! Once finished, we headed back. At each extra stop, the truck was inspected, and the dry cloths came out to get rid of any speck that had inadvertently stuck to the newly polished exterior. As we drove along the highway, to my amazement, the duster on a stick came out and was passed to me. "What is this?" I asked, although it was obvious. "It's part of my car cleaning kit", I was told. "You can dust your side". I dutifully did as I was told. Finally, we finished, and arrived back at my complex. In we drove, slowly, very slowly. In fact, it was so slow we were almost stopped. We drove around the corner, so slowly that one of my neighbours checked the path to make sure it was not slippery. Of course, the reason for the slow move was so that no grime would splash on the truck! At least for the next few hours, she wanted it to shine!
I uncovered my winter vegetables, as they would not be affected by the overnight lows of just below zero. The other plants would stay inside. The storm that was not a storm had passed, and all was well. There were some blackouts, but as predicted, they were unpredictable. Trees on power lines, or something similar. Saturday afternoon saw temperatures of over 50. Positively balmy! The bitter winds had dropped, and seasonal temperatures returned.
Sunday. although starting off cold, quickly rose above freezing by mid morning. I removed the covers from the plants that were left outside. Ice flew as I took off the covers, and then had to get ready for our big afternoon out. What were we going to do? That is ............ another story!
No comments:
Post a Comment