Sleepless, Cold and Miserable in Seattle

112 mph winds hit upon us in the Seattle area 9 days ago. Still 96,000 w/o power in King County. 12 dead, many injured or hospitalized from carbon monoxide poisonings. Many live wires down yet. One man and his dog went for a walk to check on his neighbors. Thought the wire on street was dead after power repair crews had been through his neighborhood a few days earlier. He and his dog both stepped on wire and died instantly. I live in a rural urban area and all of our wires are underground as are most newer developments, but our grids are still linked to older power stations and above ground wirings. We are surrounded by beautiful 150 to 200 ft tall fir trees most of which were rooted into soggy ground from last months heavy rain falls. The stronger wind gusts uprooted many of these trees and they fell over power poles and high electrical wires. Many people chose to drive beneath these overhangs not knowing of such dangers. Warnings were constantly broadcasts over radio rpts. if the were yet available to be heard on battery hook ups.

A home two houses north of me sits on a knoll about 30 ft above me and the gusts from the south wind uprooted two fir trees with 3 or 4 ft base diameters. Both trees fell upon the deck above their garage and deck crashed down upon the two cars parked in their driveway. A short drive through our neighborhood shows many of these big trees now leaning on or through roofs.

We had removed all 13 Douglas fir trees from our back yard when we installed an in-ground swimming pool, leaving only ornamental or fruit trees. Our yard damage was minimal except for a garden arch which was totally destroyed.

All foods in freezers or refrigerators had to be dumped. Natural gas water heaters continued to operate as did the convection natural gas wall heater in our solarium. We have a small pot belly wood stove in the solarium, day beds, shower, and toilet facilities. My next door neighbor has a gas generator and brought us or much needed morning coffee. Fortunately I had ordered 88 each triple A & double A batteries that had arrived the day before the storm hit. These provided power for small radios and light appliances. Thusly C2C kept me company with the outer world during our black out.

One local talk radio stn kept us updated on all of the local damage and repair reports from callers. Got to tell you the distraught complaint from one arrogant Bellevue woman. She lives in a very pricey neighborhood and pays much higher property tax than the rest of us nobody’s! After 4 days of no electricity she felt the power company ought to be punished for not hooking her neighborhood up first! She also complained that homes designated as senior or elderly care facilities should have their own generators and not rely on POSE to service them first!

Unlike her pricey neighborhood, most others tended to the welfare of all in their nearby areas. Gasoline prices remained at about $3.07 per gallon. One elderly lady was paying approximately $50. per day for the gas to keep her oxygen generator operating. The Sundown syndrome for those that have Dementia-Alzheimers was very difficult for their caretakers.

My further comments: I am old enough to remember using the outhouse on my grandmother’s farm and the kerosene lamp in the kitchen near the wood stove that provided heat for bathing water and the cooking of foods she grew in her own garden. All 10 of her children were born as she stood over a haystack in the barn. She never complained and thought the conveniences within her home far exceeded those of her ancestors.

My first few days without electrical power were annoying to not be connected to the rest of the world by the ww/internet. How would my e-mail buddies get by without my many daily fwds Haha-ha. I had a chance to better communicate with my higher selves and the Uni-versal consciousness which is always available for downloading the truths I personally seek!

All experiences are good, if we choose to learn from them!

Loving us all, Lee Chin

NOTE: This Insight, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.