Storm Fun

Here's a  storm recap since the last time I spoke to all you lovely blogger buddies.

We had one helluva storm here in DMV (dc/md/va) on Friday the 29th of June.
Here I was thinking I was going to take a mental sabbatical from the stress of life but there was a different idea planned out for me I suppose.

We were one of the fortunate ones who did not lose power. All around us was dark.
Rick and I live in a newer area and all power lines are underground and apparently that was a good thing. Except for my internet.

Cell towers were down so no cell phones and the internet which is also underground (fios)did not work. I don't understand that one. I am sure there was some logic to all this but it is lost on me.

Friday night as we headed upstairs to bed the wind began howling.
As we walked into the bedroom the lightening and thunder actually felt like it shook our townhome.
Rick looked outside and began to put his clothes back on.
I asked what he was doing and he said the other umbrella has opened and it was velcro'd shut. Before it could fly away and hurt someone or something he wanted to get it and put it either in the garage or lying down.
I ran downstairs with him in his t-shirt. Thankfully no one was outside and if the neighbors saw me so what. Rick tried to open the back door and the door pushed back.
The wind was unbelievably strong. We heard later up to 95 mile an hour winds.
He kept screaming for me to go inside. No way would I listen.
This umbrella stands 12 ft tall. Rick got the higher area and I removed the bottom latchey thingy. (yes that is a word you know)
I could barely stand up the wind was so strong.
We got it out of where it stands and just laid it on the ground with the other umbrella and ran inside as fast as the wind would allow us to run.

Sleeping was a bit difficult. I don't deal well with thunder and lightening storms anyway but you knew this wasn't ordinary. So as Rick and the dog were softly snoring I attempted to go upstairs and watch TV. But no satellite, no TV. I sat in the dark for a long while to exhausted to get up and find a book. I tried the TV again and this time it worked. 
So I stared at the television but my mind was a few miles away.

Saturday morning Rick and I surveyed the damage.
We had debris and limbs but nothing more than that on our patio.
We then took Izzy out for a walk. We checked out our vehicles that were not in the garage and they were fine.  As we walked we say trees down everywhere.
Trees smashed through cars, Trees that broke decks.
There wasn't a clear street anywhere to be seen. It was eeriely quiet.
Later that day after Rick left for work I took Izzy for another walk in the late morning.
All you heard was the buzz of chain saws cutting trees that had fallen.
It was a strange morning.

As I mentioned Rick had to work that day even though it was Saturday.
We were certain there would be no power at any of the 3 customers he was going to visit in Arlington.
But we couldn't reach them with the one phone that did work, our office land line.
(also Fio's.) 
Each customer I called had a constant fast busy signal which told me they had no phone service. So off he went into the world of down trees and no traffic lights.
We saw what looked to us like a tornado had touched down on the news but he felt he had to try to get to Arlington. Hell a tornado would have been in one spot this was everywhere.

I had no way to reach Rick if I did hear from a customer because he didn't have a cell phone.
The first customer had no power.
I got an email from the 2nd and he had no power.
I couldn't let Rick know this so he went to all 3 of them. None with power.
No traffic lights, trees down on the road everywhere. It was mayhem. 
When he arrived back at the house in the afternoon he said he wouldn't go out there again until things were better it was too damn dangerous.
Apparently the ass hats don't understand what a 4 way stop is when the traffic lights don't work. He saw several accidents that day. People fighting at gas stations he said.
It was like everyone was in a hot blazing rage.

Our lake house rental family were to arrive on Saturday.
I was concerned if the storm had hit the house. 
I realize it is 4 hrs south of me but according to the weather channel that area was hit as well. I just didn't know if it was as bad.
So I called the neighbors. Fast busy signal on their land line. No service on their cells.
I tried another neighbor. Nothing! 
I feared what the new renters were going to be walking into.
Was my house even standing?

Finally at noon I got an email from the renters.
Their cell wasn't working unless they drove to the other side of the lake (500 miles of shoreline and 22, 000 acre lake so no small feat)
Our house appeared fine they said but we had no power.
 They had to drive through some fields to avoid the down trees to get to the house.
They were going to stay until the electric came on.

My first thought was OMG! 
It's over 105 and the house must be horribly hot.
I told them where all the flashlights were and battery operated candles in case it didn't come on until after dark.
(I don't leave candles for rentals or I may not have a house standing)
They kept saying they would be fine.
The next day they still didn't have power.
The neighbors told them the power went out on Friday night at 10p I now knew of another problem.

I told the renters that the refrigerator in the laundry area of the lower level is locked as you know. I told her where we keep the keys to the freezer and fridge and if she could salvage anything by all means eat it/grill it otherwise could she please take it all out and throw it out before the smell gets to them.
I felt badly asking them to do all this but the smell would have been worse.
So 4 ribeye steaks, a pack of red hots, burger, bacon, ice cream etc that was in the freezer is all gone. They also threw out all the condiments etc.
You know all the things we don't like to bring back and forth.
The fridge was also loaded with beer, bottled water, gin, vodka and southern comfort for the sissy I married. (he drinks girly things!)
We told them to help themselves.
My fear was they would leave.
Now I know the lease states that an act of God is not our fault but I would have felt horrible not giving them their money back even though legally we didn't have to.
Morally, emotionally, whatever it is I couldn't not have reimbursed them.
I am not heartless you know.
(Okay maybe you don't but like my blog says I'm a toasted marshmellow only crusty on the outside)
And truth be told once I know they have left their home I used the money for the mortgage. Shit was I worried.
We both were a bit stressed.
I didn't have it so giving it back was a big ass fear for me.

Sunday night they got power. They also got cell phone service.
They said the house was fine but now no A/C. 
SHIT ! was all I could say when Rick got off the phone and told me.
Rick asked if they had hit the circuit breaker and he told Rick he had.
So I scrambled on Sunday night to call the warranty service
(thank God for a warranty service on the house and 24 hr service)
We got someone to say they would go out Monday morning.

So these poor people have not had air conditioning since they arrived and it is hotter than hell.
The water is a well.  No water without power either. No flushing.
We told them to bring water up from the lake to flush. (yipee ---like camping!)
Monday morning the technician arrives and viola it is nothing more than he didn't hit the right circuit thingy. (that's the professional term for this thing I'm sure of it.)
They now had air.
That service call was $75 which didn't need to be spent but at that point I would have slept with the damn hillbilly that was the repairman just so they didn't leave.
Yea I'm a whore that way.

Everything is fine there now and they seem to be having fun.
I sent them a big tower of treats from Harry and David to say thank you for all they did.  These people have been to our home before so I was glad it was someone familiar with the lay of the land vs. a newbie.

I kept thinking at least they have the lake to cool off in and during the day that is what they'd be doing anyway. We know they kept driving to Kroger to get ice and use their cell phones because that is the only place that had service and they would call us from there.
It is a 35 minute drive one way to Kroger. Great vacation fun huh?

I give them a lot of credit I may not have stayed.
Oh hell who am I kidding.
My husband would have told me it was an adventure and he would have wanted to stay so I would have had to stay.
He would have thought this was a damn good reason to fool around all the time- nothin' else to do he'd tell me. I would have said, "hey it's too hot, don't touch me." 
That made us laugh when we talked about it that weekend.
Rick said, "you're already hot and sweaty so what the hell." 
I hate when he makes sense like that.

For work I was without Internet and thankfully it is slow this time of year. (thankfully? I said that really?) I used the cell phone hot spot like I do when I work at the lake on my laptop and could work that way. But it was sporadic service at best.
Cell service was very sporadic for days until the 4th. 

We invited a lot of people we knew over to our home who were without power.
I even invited our blogger buddy Bilbo.
We ended up having quite the impromptu gathering.
Our house was cool and we threw some things on the grill and I made a few other things quickly and we had a party. No table though so we put the wood over top of it and we made due. It was a good story for everyone. Most everyone was indoors anyway.
The air conditioning was wonderful and besides that was where the liquor was.

And remember that glass table that was hit by the wind?
Well we priced tables. A new one of $300 was flimsy and nothing like the one we had.
We went to so many places and nothing without chairs. We don't need no stinkin' chairs!

I just figured we would be the neighborhood hillbilly's this year and keep that wood on there.
But it really bothered Rick that he couldn't jimmy rig something.
So on the 3rd of July he tells me he thinks he can do it.
He said, "do you mind if I try something?"  I certainly did not. We can't use it as it is.
So if he does something that doesn't work out so be it. Nothing lost right?

So he told me that all that tile in the garage that we got for free and used at the lake house main bathroom he would like to try to make a table top with it.
He asked if I minded that tile or if he did it. Hell no I didn't mind! 
Now Rick can do a lot but tiling is soooooo not his thing!
He worked on this for two days. Actually about 4 hrs each day.
He did have to buy the backerboard. That was all.
He used his gift card he got for fathers day from his daughter at Home Depot.
Came in handy as hell.

He put up all umbrella's that we had to shade himself and went to work out on the patio in 105 degree weather. I kept his "fluids" up with regular gin and lemonade refills. 
He started after work on the 3rd of July and finished it on the 4th of July.
Later that evening we rolled on a sealer. Then it rained 3 hrs later....perfect timing.

Is it perfect.? Oh heaven's no. He knows it too, I'm not being an ungrateful wench.
Like I said he knows this isn't his best skill, but he tried and I love him for that.
You know what? I think it's pretty damn good and it will last us until we can get a new one. 
I rather like.  He thought I'd hate it. Are you kidding me? It's a table.
He worked hard on it and I so appreciate it and him! 

So not all of the tiles line up perfectly or the bottom area slipped and a tile or two aren't perfectly level. It's is a table and we can go out there again.....when it's in the 80's or low 90's again anyway.

Here ya go....The Before

After the storms.

Not too shabby right? Yea, he's my MacGyver  of handy man.
I love him for trying and I love that he can't let it go.
Ah hell I just love him!


UPDATE -  Check out our great neighbors to the north! Thanks Canada!!