[tcb] Homeless in Siberia
- From: <coocoo@xxxxxxx>
- To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:42:53 -0500
I am almost dead. I am sitting in a coffee shop using their Wi-Fi, one of the
few places that are open and have internet. The entire city of Springdale is
dark. There is in inch of ice on everything. The ice crystals are growing UP
from the grass. I have never seen that.
The power went off three days ago, but using Gerald's big orange battery I
could still get internet. We refugeed to Brad and Claudette's in Rogers, where
only half the town was dark. but they had no Net. Then they lost power and my
house now has no internet.
We had to crash the Element through the hanging ice from the bent over trees.
And then we lost traction going up the road to Nob Hill and it slid sideways
into a ditch. We abandoned it and I walked back for the truck, but by then two
or three trees and fallen and blocked our driveway, so I had to just plow
through the woods, knocking down small trees.
Then it got worse.
Driving from Brad's, 12 miles or so, fighting my way down the road, machete,
bow saw and small chainsaw, fed the dogs, checked on everything, going to the
only grocery store open, stopping at the liquor store (it's not really open,
just the drive-thru window. They have a laptop, take cash and go find what you
want with flashlights) then arrive back at Brad's was 7 hours.
Yesterday we went with a big chainsaw and it took about two hours to cut our
way to the house. More trees keep falling.
The neighbors, who are old and weak anyway, were suffering quietly when I went
and checked on them. She chain smokes and had been out of cigs for two days and
they had no toilet paper. I gave them by cell phone because their phone was
dead. They had never worked one. When we were on our way back there I called to
ask what they might need and she asked for two cups of coffee. Their stove is
elect rick, so they hadn't had anything hot for two days. I gave them a cook
top and a propane bottle. They still couldn't make coffee, cuz Mr Coffee won't
work, so I went home and brought them a drip setup.
We got the Element out of the ditch.
I have borrowed a small generator from a guy who went and bought a bigger one
after he found that he couldn't fun his furnace, freezer, fridge, plasma TV and
his Mr Coffee with the little one. I supposedly will be able to plug this into
my furnace and my projector TV.
Well, I have delayed it about as long as I can. At least I need to feed the
dogs.
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