6-30-12

4:55pm

I hope everyone survived the storm safely!

We lost power as soon as the storm arrived yesterday

about 4:30pm.  It looks pretty bad around us.

We went out and looked around yesterday evening

and had to go on one call to Tony's work.

Power out along with MANY downed trees.

It almost looks like a tornado hit. 

We are under a state of emergency because of this storm.

We topped wind speeds of 80-85 miles per hour.

Winds were stronger than the wind storm from

Hurricane Ike which topped at around 75 mph. 

My brother gave my mom a generator to use.

We unloaded it for them and helped them set it up.

We do not have one.

We plugged their fridge and chest freezer into along

with a fan to help keep them cool since

we are under a heat advisory. 

Temps at the moment are 91 and feels like 93 degrees.

This really sucks having no power and no ac.

Our truck's ac isn't exactly working the greatest

so we've been sweating our you know what's

off driving around.

I read online on WBNS10TV that there was 

over 350,000 power outages and it could

take 3-5 days to restore power.

MANY traffic lights are not working

and it's a great challenge driving around.

We have found ice at Kroger and stocked a

cooler in the back of the truck with water, pop

and basic picnic supplies so we can eat.

We put some of our perishables from our fridge and

freezer into mom's.  We'll probably loose the rest.

We are currently at Tony's work hanging out by the pool.

They have power here.  Sitting by the pool and

have my computer plugged in and using the

free wi-fi at the pool.  Still hot as heck!!!!

It almost feels like we have been camping out

surviving off things in the back of the truck.

Since the storm, our cell phone service works

about half and shuts off most calls we try to make.

That's another reason for hanging out at his work,

so he can get the on call emergency calls or at

least check in the office to see if any came in.

Gas is a little hard to come by.

Some stations are open but they have

shut the gas tanks down due to the power outages.

If you find gas some lines are long

and there's a wait.

Last night almost everything was closed

that was normally open.  

We had to find a fast food joint

because we hadn't eaten and I didn't

dare open the fridge to get anything out

with no power.  Let me tell ya, if there

was a fast food place open it was PACKED

inside and out.  We ended up at Arby's, not by first choice,

and had to wait about 30 minutes in a LONG line.

They had an excellent crew working that night

and kept their calm really well.  Their computers

and registers were down and had to write down

all orders on pieces of paper.  

The trips around town, back and forth to Tony's work,

has been an obstacle!  Roads closed to downed trees

and lots of traffic at major intersections due

to lights being out.  We have ventured

around the back roads to get to places much easier

and to check out the damage.  We went over

to University Village, a place Tony worked for MANY

years and where we had first met.

That place literally looked like a war zone!!

Almost every tree looked like it was laying

down in the yards and across roadways.

There was even a car that got hit by a fallen

tree that sustained major damage with

broken out windows and a crushed top and trunk.

I'm trying to type quickly as I don't know when and if

we'll have to jump up any time now to go on call

or for other things.  Plus the internet connection goes in and

out and isn't the greatest here. If there are mistakes oh well,

I can't see the best on the computer outside.

Just trying to jump in here for a moment while

I can to let y'all know we are ok. 

Here are the photos I got from yesterday evening.

My camera battery died and I have it recharging

at the maintenance shop to get more

photos in the daylight hours.

It was getting dark last night when

I took the ones that I did so they are not the

greatest but you get the idea.

There is a couple from Tony's work

from where shingles and siding was coming off

buildings and the last couple of photos was

two different fires where we could see smoke

off in the distance.  We had a small one across

the street from us due to a tree limb on a power

line which caused the transformer to blow.

The fire put itself out.

Tree down across Ferris Rd.

 Tree down and blocking Cooke Rd.

 Tree fell on house near Whetstone Park.

 Saw many firetrucks and ambulances out.

 Trees on railroad track near Upper Arlington.

Could see a train headlight in distance.

Tree down at Tony's work by the pool

we are currently sitting at. 

 Some of the buildings at Tony's work.

There was others but my camera battery died

to take more photos.

 Billboard on Olentangy across from the hospital

falling over.  It looks worse today.

 These photos were taken from University Village Apartments.

It looks much worse in person!

These pictures do not speak for themselves.

It is VERY bad over there.

Might drive through there again this evening

and get more photos.

 Hotel by University Village.

 Smoke seen from Olentangy and Ackerman.

Working on uploading videos.  It's 6:00pm.

More Than 345.000 Central Ohio AEP Customers Still Without Power

7:35pm


Thought it was going to rain so I put the computer
away considering I have to use it outdoors at the pool.
I was just reading WBNS10TV's post on Facebook
about estimated times for power restoration
for different suburbs and parts of Columbus.
I about crapped myself when I saw they
had our area listed to be restored by midnight JULY 7TH!!!
THAT'S A WEEK FROM NOW!!!
And it's supposed to be in the 90's everyday. 
I seriously thought about putting some blankets down
under the carport and sleeping outside.  
I could not sleep well last night.
From 3:00-4:00am I was sitting out on the
front doorstep.  
Still sitting by the pool and over at Tony's
coworkers apartment.  Starting to feel a couple rain
drops so may have to put the computer back
in the truck again.

6-29-12

7:30am

It's gonna be another hot one today.

95 degrees with a heat index of 100 to 105 degrees.

I stepped outside this morning and found the 

air really thick and it was hard for me to breathe.

It's 83 degrees with a heat index of 89 degrees at 7:30am

and we will have humidity added in today

which we didn't have yesterday with

air quality alert issued for people with breathing problems.
Plus there is a water shortage in Delaware just North of here.
They are banning people from watering their lawns.
Water restrictions will be in place til July 6th.
They say the reservoir is down to August levels
and it's only June.  They are concerned if we don't get
rain soon that the company will have problems
supplying water to it's customers.

I'm sitting here with a heating pad

on my neck and left shoulder already this morning.

I can't seem to shake this pain in my neck and left

shoulder.  Right before bed I had put 5 small

hot/medicated patches around my neck

and left shoulder.  Obviously that didn't work.

I've already popped a few ibuprofen this morning

upon opening my eyes up.  It's been three days now

dealing with this stiffness and pain.

It's putting a damper on wanting to work on my basement

and getting other things done.

Oh goodie.  Now I've got the cat playing with the 

cord and controller hanging off me from

the heating pad trying to knock it off my shoulder.

He's been a shyster here lately in the mornings.

I shooed him off the cord and

now he's gone into the kitchen and is trying

to claw open a new bag of cat food.  His food

bowl is completely full with the same stuff

so who knows why he is doing it.

And now there he goes with a snot tissue

I just wiped a drippy nose with.

I tossed it over to the trash can but missed

and he was nice enough to retrieve it for me

and run off and play with it. 


--------------------------------------------------------------


9:10am

I'm down to less than a half loaf of bread so are
in the process of making homemade bread loaves today.

1 cup warm water (free)

3 Tablespoons sugar (.02 cents)

1.5 teaspoons salt (.02 cents)

3 Tablespoons vegetable or olive oil (.02 cents)

3 cups flour (.15 cents)

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid rise yeast (.25 cents)

Additional seasonings I added not included in the original recipe- garlic powder, oregano & onion powder. (.04 cents)

TOTAL COST TO MAKE .50 cents

compared to $1.00 for a loaf of Kroger bread. 

Put everything into bread machine

in the order listed above.

I set the machine on the pizza dough cycle

so it won't bake in there. 

You may want to turn your crock pot on 
before hand on low before placing your dough
in there so it has a warm environment.
You'll need to grease your crock pot and put your
shaped loaf in there or put it in a loaf pan
if it will fit in the crock.
To keep it from getting a too crispy of
a bottom set a wire rack in the bottom of
the crock.  If you don't have one you can
using canning rings. 
Next take a very sharp knife and 
cut a slit down the center.
Place a towel on top of the crock and then
your lid.  Prop the lid slightly with a toothpick
to allow it to vent.  Cook for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Don't peek in to check until about the
1.5 hour mark!





10:30am


It is 90 degrees with a heat index of 95
according to weather.com.



Getting my second crock pot set up for
some chicken.  I'm thinking about some
chicken salad sandwiches with mayo, celery, onion,
and pickles for supper tonight
on homemade bread with lettuce and tomato.


11:10am


Just peeked out in the mailbox after not
retrieving my mail yesterday and the electric
bill had arrived for the past month.
Oh yeah, I'm not gonna like next month's bill
if this past month shot up by $60.
It's $164.  Cry!
I'm gonna guess now and say July's bill
will be around $250, just a guess though
and I hope I'm wrong and it's much less.

Come on rain and cooler temps!!!
I'm sure everyone is doing a rain dance right about now.

Refilled the birdbath and water bowl
and gave the birds and squirrels
some old French bread that went bad
a couple days after purchasing it.

I cannot afford to water the grass and some plants,
only the vegetable garden, petunias at the front door step,
hydrangeas and sometimes the pear trees.
Everything else will have to go without.
I think I've lost most of my petunias yesterday
in the backyard flower bed and the Hostas
are starting to turn yellow and die.

Any grass that is in direct sunlight is dead.
We have some green in the shaded areas.
The good thing is that we don't have to mow.

Trees are taking a hit considering it
is only June and dead leaves are falling
like it's Fall.

 Wanted to show you my free swing cushions
I got at my honey's work.  A resident left behind
a swing similar to mine and I snatched the cushions.
I could of got the shade top for my swing also
but those were a pain, tearing and causing
the swing to tip over when it got windy.
The cushions could use a cleaning 
but I'll wait with doing that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------


12:20pm


We now have an excessive heat warning
for about 2/3rds of the state including Columbus til 8pm.
Weather.com says to expect the heat index to
reach or exceed 110 degrees!!!




My bread is done and I've now got the skinned chicken
in the crock with a touch of water and a tablespoon
of Better Than Boullion.   Gave the kids lunch of 
leftovers from last night's supper fried
all together in a skillet like hash.

While in the kitchen cooking I snapped a couple
photos of what my backyard looked like
with all the birds and squirrels.
Poor things are probably dehydrated and can't find 
any food at the moment.
They are loving the French bread and water!!
Looks like a party going on out there with them.
Picture quality ain't the greatest when taking
pics through the kitchen window
and past a Kroger bag on my clothesline
holding clothespins.

I called Tony at work.
He said he and his boss felt about 50 raindrops!
I said you sure some birds didn't fly overhead
and pee on you? 


We are at a slight risk for a severe thunderstorm
so keep up the rain dances!


---------------------------------------------------------------------------


 1:40pm

Neighbor's squirrels across street.
There's about 4-5, 7?  I lost count of them out playing today.
These are not the same 3-4 squirrels
from my yard.  She also puts out food
and water for squirrels, birds and stray cats.
Enlarge on bottom right corner for a better view.

---------------------------------------------------------------- 


2:30pm


It's 97 degrees.
With the heat index it feels like 102 degrees.


--------------------------------------------------------------------- 


4:40pm


Batten down the hatches! A severe thunderstorm
with a bow echo with Columbus being at the center
of the bow is heading straight for us!!
It is currently 96 and feels like 104 degrees
with the storm almost here.
They are saying straight line winds
could reach 80 miles an hour!
This ain't gonna be good.
I called Tony who is getting ready to come
home from work and told him to
hang out at work and he's being
stubborn and said no.  I hope he does!
Warnings are going off on all tvs and channels.
Cameras almost dead.  Will show photos
later on if I can get back on.
Keep safe!!

6-28-12

7:20am

Red Flag Warning for Columbus & surrounding areas.

This means conditions are ripe for fires with the drought we've

been having.  Please refrain from setting off fireworks,

having a fire in the fire pit, burning brush,

throwing cigarettes on ground, parking vehicles

near tall grass, etc.

This picture shows you the grass near the pool we were

at last night.  Dead, yellow and crispy.

  

I'm still suffering from a very stiff neck from sleeping wrong

the other day.   My shoulders and shoulder blades even hurt.

Oh my goodness!  I can't turn my head.  I have to turn my whole

body instead.  I have taken ibuprofen which does nothing to

alleviate the pain or stiffness.   Was trying to research to 

see if there was some relief for it.  I did find out that

when you get this condition it is called Torticollis.

They say you can get it during Summer months when

you have the windows open at night when sleeping.

The temperature drops in the early morning

which causes the neck muscles to stiffen and cramp

and not go away for awhile.

The other morning the temps got down to 

about 52 degrees or less and I did have the windows open

with the fan going so that may have been the culprit.

Might try a hot shower, heating pad or some of 

those heat patches.  I'll probably be the only person

looking for heat today while everyone else

is looking to cool off.


8:30am


I actually went out and watered my two pear trees
this morning.  I don't think I've had to really 
water these trees since planting them 
3 years ago.  The other day I noticed that
the one in the front yard had a pear fall from it.
So, worried that I would lose more pears
before fully ripened, I gave them a good
drink of water. 


I just posted these hot peppers the other day
when they were green.  They are now red and
ready for pickin'.  Who wants to be first
and bite into them, lol.  I don't remember
if these are chili or ceyenne.

9:30am


Got the air conditioner on 76 degrees,
hung up either small, lap blankets or towels on
ALL windows with clothespins to block out sunlight
to keep it dark and cool in here today.
Got the sun shade out of the truck and put
it in the window that is facing the sun
at the moment, then put the blind down over
it and have a small blanket over the blind.
And then have all fans blowing full speed
to keep cool air circulated throughout the house.
When you don't have the money
to put the ac on 69 then this is what you do
to keep your air conditioner from working
so hard and raising your electric bill so much.
Whenever you think 76 or 77 degrees is too hot
to keep your home then stick your head outside
when it hits 90 and 100 degrees and see
which temperature you would prefer.
Will keep an eye out for more of these
car sun shades for cheap.
Do what ya gotta do with what ya have to do it with
to help cut costs!

Another cheap and easy way to deflect the heat away from the 
windows in your home is to cover cardboard the size of
your windows with aluminum foil and secure them
to the outside of your windows during a heatwave.
This will reflect 97% of radiant heat away from your windows.
But it has to be on the outside!


----------------------------------------------------------------- 


12:40pm

Got the meatloaf made and carrots cut

up and put into the crock.

I seared the meatloaf on the top

and bottom before putting in the crock.

92 degrees out heading to about 100 degrees by 5:00pm.

I have our house dark to keep it cool in here.

2:55pm


It's 98 degrees outside with a heat index of 101 degrees. 


I was reading an article about where your used clothing
goes once you donate it to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
Think twice before you think it ends up
going to the needy!  
"Used clothing is now the United States number one
export by volume, with the overwhelming majority
sent to ports in sub-Saharan Africa."


The Salvation Army and Goodwill:
Inside the places your donated clothing goes to.

The True Price of Cheap Clothes.




--------------------------------------------------




3:35pm




99 degrees with a 103 heat index.
This is according to my zip code
on weather.com.


3:50pm


Me and the boys watched Haunted Collector
and School Spirits today that I recorded on the
DVR from yesterday.  At 4:00pm
on Animal Planet they have The Haunted.
Lol, I'm sure they will be ready for bed this
evening after watching all theses shows with me. 


5:00pm


Weather.com says it's 101 degrees 
and feels like 104 degrees outside.
This was the first time I've noticed a little
struggle with the air conditioner which is
probably expected with this high of temps.
Ac is set at 76 and as soon as it hit
77 in here it kicks on and brings it back
down to 76.  It's now saying 78
which signals the struggle with the heat outside. 
Tony just got home.  The first time
the door has been opened since this morning.


-------------------------------------------------------------------


5:45pm


So worth waiting for!
This meal was all made in the crock pot today.
I put the already boiled potatoes on top

the meatloaf 30 minutes before the meat

and carrots were done to heat them through

considering they had been siting in the fridge.

Something I was finally able to eat without problems,

YEAHHHH!

I tried to eat a bologna sandwich for lunch

today and that didn't work in my favor.

------------------------------------------------------------------------


6:00pm


The ac is still struggling to come down off 78 degrees.


------------------------------------------------------------------------


7:00pm

Took the kids swimming this evening.
This was the temperature as we were pulling up
getting ready to park.

I love watching and learning about hauntings
and paranormal things.  Some people don't believe
while some do.  For those that don't think ghosts or 
the paranormal exists then why is it that in some
states when selling a home you must disclose
to the buyer if your home is haunted
or if there has been any deaths in the home.
If ghosts are a figment of people's imaginations 
then why are there laws
concerning this matter where if you don't tell
the buyers and they find out the hard way,
then the sellers can be slapped with a lawsuit.
Just a thought I had tonight for those nonbelievers.

Haunted America: Haunted Homes in the U.S. & Real Estate Disclose Laws: To Tell or Not to Tell