Backdraft #6: Windstorm 2006

Drafted on February 7, 2006

On the 4th we had the worst windstorm in 7 years. We lost power for nearly 48 hours, while others were out almost 4 days! Our home is surrounded by very tall evergreens. Fortunately, no trees fell on our home or car, but the front yard is a mess. At least one tree's worth of limbs littler our front yard, and one limb bent part of a roof gutter. We'll be burning that mess soon.

It is a pain to lose power and have the mess. I complain about it, but I love where I live. I love the fact my yard is full of natural green – with all the “fresh-cut” limbs it smells like Christmas when I walk outside. Some folks think we live “way out” here on the Kitsap Peninsula. Extreme Home Makeover built a home nearby and the show made it seem like we live in the middle of nowhere – needing quads to maneuver through the desolate terrain…

Losing power for such a length of time seems odd in this age of technology and fast-paced living. Every year we lose power – anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days. Where we live this happens at least a couple of times a year. But it's a trade I'll take. I can get a generator.

I can visit the “big and fancy stores” it just takes a bit longer with the ferry. We recently acquired an Old Navy and a Taco Del Mar, and simply due the fact we live in the Pacific Northwest we have 2 Starbucks in a town with a population of less than 8,000! So, with the exception of window shopping at places like Pottery Barn and Nordstrom, I don’t really feel like I have to “rough it”. I love the way of life here. My soul prefers to nestle in my small-town home, go to my favorite market and know I'll almost always bump into a friend,

Postscript: Since the writing of this post, we lost power another 2 times. One of which happened the afternoon before we were leaving for a trip to my parents. I had to pack dirty clothes, dirty bottles and it was the first time I packed in candlelight… Yeah, not so romantic…