Day 6: Still No Power

I woke up in the hotel this morning in a dreaming fog. I was under some warm, but slightly scratchy hotel sheets and felt as though I was a hibernating bear. A smile lit my face....I was comfortable. A feeling I haven't felt in what seems like forever. I peeked out the window and noticed for the first time in days that I could see color from the leaves of the evergreens. The ice is melting, it must have warmed up to around 45 degrees, as promised by our local weatherman. Tomorrow they're calling for more snow. Say it ain't so.

Yesterday, as we were fleeing our house, I felt like we were in the movie Amityville Horror, running quickly away from the demons. Except our house wasn't possessed with evil, but with cold. I think the books lie. I think it's freezing in hell. It must be, because I'm in it. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I keep watching the clock. Check out is at noon. Time is flying by quickly. At noon we are back in the car, back to the house that is a cold mess. Who wants to clean in 30 degree weather? It sucks. I envy those people with generators and with enough money to stay in a hotel for a week's time. We drive by houses and can see their chimney's churning....POWER! They've got the power and we have none. I'm about to start a revolution!

How many more days must we wait? I know we have it better than most. Some have nothing at all and are braving out the cold in their homes with no water and no phone in the country with no neighbors to check in on them. Yes, it could be much worse.

My kids are driving me crazy. I think I might sell them for heat. Any takers? Ha ha. Seriously though.....they are bouncing off the walls and making me nuts. If I hear...when will the power be back on ONE MORE TIME.... Don't make me pull this car over!

Work has been an experience the last few days. People are claiming illness for a warm bed and some cable. Including me, it didn't work. Daggummit! We were forced to stay over one morning because nurses weren't showing up and we had no way to call them. Landline phones are out and most cell service is on and off too. Pushing 9:30am I felt like Gumby. A little rubbery with not much going on upstairs. I remember walking and having to remind myself that I had two feet. It seemed I was dragging them along with me like dead appendages. I was numb and was so grateful when we were allowed to leave. If I had taken care of anyone much longer it would have been a dangerous situation.

I spoke with a doctor on the phone who said he was trapped in his house and to cancel his surgeries. Also, most docs used their cells these days instead of the pager system. Talk about a nightmare. The patients were starting to get a little irritable. Nurses were staying in patient beds because they couldn't go home, and more importantly....wouldn't be able to come back. They were being held hostage. The hospital sent out a message in the newspaper for all available staff to call because they were needed. Call with what Sherlock? THE PHONES AREN'T WORKING! Oy! What a mess.

I'm sitting next to the heater, soaking up all the available hotness. Who knows when I will feel it again. I dread going home and staring at the walls in the cold darkness. I wish life would go back to normal again. WAHHHHHHH!