This time last week, the Laundry King and I were bunkering down during the superstorm. Our home faces south and was exposed to the full force of gales and the driving rain. The pole house shook violently (bringing dreams of sailing on the high seas in an 18th century barque); large pane windows creaked ominously; debris was was flying around outside; and water was leaking inside in unwelcome places.
We lost power early on which is not unusual – it only takes one felled tree to take out the line into our community. 3G connectivity followed soon after and the landline went down too. Three days without electricity, telephone or internet reinforces how much we rely upon these services in the 21st century. (Fortunately, we still had running water and, to be used sparingly, flushing toilets.)
Between towel and leak patrols, I put the time to good use writing to do lists; reading books and cleaning out my sock drawer. I also made a fantastic peasant bean stew in a cast iron pot sitting on top of the wood stove. With camping supplies still to hand from the kitchen renovations, we ate very well.
I am grateful that power was restored before the contents of my freezer were spoiled and roads around Copacabana were cleared so that we can reach the outside world again. And, in the aftermath, it feels so good to be back in the studio. This is what I created yesterday:
What storms have you weathered lately?