Well, here we are on the day after. It was a hell of a ride. We watched the hurricane arrive on TV and in our yard. The power stayed on until around 4AM. At that point, watching on TV became irrelevant. We were in it.
Howling wind, driving rain, and trees bent nearly double became the order of the moment. Our main concern became the large trees swaying to and fro in our front yard. That and the fear of flying glass made it difficult to sleep. Though, in the end, exhaustion claimed victory over our fear and we slipped into sweet oblivion, as the wind raged just outside of the thin glass windows of the room we slept in.
I awoke around 7:30 and quickly rose from the couch to see what damage had been done. My front yard was scattered with broken branches, leaves, and other debris. Several branches hung by a few shreds of bark from two of the biggest trees. In the backyard, the swimming pool was filled with several inches of leaves at the bottom and a layer of branches, twigs, and leaves covered the surface. The color of the water was a dark green.
Across the street, a tree in my heighbor's yard had lost several huge branches. And down the street one could see broken trees and debris in almost every yard. People were already coming out to see the damage, and some were beginning to help each other with the clean-up.
I spent the day cleaning up my yard, greeting those walking by to survey the neighborhood damage, and sharing observations with my Republican neighbor from across the street.
I smiled to myself as I turned from sharing a few pleasantries with him and remembered the Obama sign in my study window, flashing back at us.
A little later the power came back on, and I thought of how dependent we are on oil. And then I cheered out loud, "Power to the People!" "Right On!"
