First Big Storm

Did just fine Monday night with getting my new critters installed in their domains. Went to work Tuesday morning with slush on the road and icy rain coming down. I travel 25 miles, ten of them flat then a leg of 15 miles up and down little mountains. All day long I had one eye on the weather. It kept coming down, more rain at times than ice. The trip home was miserable. When I left Norwich and hit the hills going toward New Berlin I began sliding every which way. Horizontal snow started coming across the road. It was white knuckles all the way, creeping along doing 20 tops. The weather just got worse, and I called Matt's cell to tell him not to attempt coming home from Buffalo and to stay at a motel. He finally made it with stories about cars in ditches and flashing red lights everwhere with downed power lines. I filled up the stock tanks and every container I could find - good thing because I lost power. Fortunately I am the candle queen, and we had wood from Rosanna's delivery on Sunday. Our generator is broken, so there would be no power for refrigerator, TV, or well-pump. The wood stove was still untested with the extra stack Matt installed. It was a long night, cold and blowing. Wood stove working fine. Morning came - no telephones and still no power. No cell phones, either. I was frantic to find out if BOCES was closed, but no way to tell. Did morning barn chores, everybody fine. New piggies happy in their pig-pen, nestled in a pile of hay. I couldn't imagine there would be school, butBOCES can't close unless all sending districts close. It takes time for them all to decide. Last year I went to work twice to find school closed! I worried and fretted all day, cut off from the world. After the harrowing trip I had home the day before I was not anxious to get out on the road. Low and behold, around 5'oclock Rosanna came in, checking to see if I was alive. Everybody at school was worried. I was the only one who didn't make it in. What a hardy lot these NY girls are! Power came back on, got TV back, but no internet yet. Maybe it will be back on when I get home from work. Better get going...piggies are waiting.