Fortunate in a Damaged Area -- Americans Can Be Proud

This morning I heard that well over 400,000 Dominion Power Customers were still without  electrical power. Yesterday, the number was 1.2 million, so that was a big improvement. People in lower King William County (Virginia) may not get their power back for quite some time because trees fell across the lines in so many places along the main highway.

Although we live in the midst of countless trees, we were quite fortunate. The only tree that fell on our property was uprooted and dropped over into the branches of another big sturdy tree. Since it poses no danger for anyone at this point, this scarlet oak will remain as is for a while. We were surprised to see such a shallow root system for this mighty oak. Many homes and yards sustained damage during this storm that hammered our area with dangerous winds for over five straight hours. Unlike Hurricane Isabel we were spared the flood waters this time. Our power was out about 36 hours, so we are so much better off than many others who do not know when their electricity will be restored.

We all owe thanks to the many Dominion Power employees and community volunteers who are working day and night to restore services and safety. People helping people. Americans can be proud.

Do We Own the Land? Fire, Earthquake, and Hurricane

This has been quite a week in Virginia. I returned home with plans for doing a lot of write in between attending teacher workshops and meetings. We were met with a smoky haze and the news from a nearby neighbor that the previous week one day she couldn't see our house from her window because of the smoke. That smoke is coming from an uncontrolled fire in the Great Dismal Swamp located in southeastern Virginia. If the wind shifts in the right direction, we get the smoke. The smoke is not pleasant.

Then, earlier this week, as I stood in my art studio, some gigantic animal raced back and forth across our roof. I stared at the skylights, certain they would shatter at any moment. My husband was in another upstairs room and thought a large helicopter was landing on the roof. He also watched trees and the building sway during the commotion. All the while, in my studio, the angel wind chimes played a magical tune. Of course, since they hang against the indoor wall as decoration, I had never before heard them play. It all turned out to be a 5.8 earthquake. The only earthquake I'd felt before was a small shaking in California a few years ago. The skylights didn't break, but I had a funny, unsettling feeling for the remainder of the day.

"Remnants of a Storm"

Now, here comes Hurricane Irene, and we are right in its path. In 2003, Isabel dealt our community a terrible blow as hurricane winds blew directly up our three rivers at high tide. Many people living on the point of the peninsula where our town is located lost their homes or suffered severe damage to them. Our house is on higher ground, but I recall looking out the window at the height of the storm to see the Mattaponi River and West Point Creek united into one vast body of raging water. We lost many trees during that storm, including a tall oak and most of the fruit trees nurtured in our orchard. One tree, located close to our house, blew down but fell away in the opposite direction blocking a street.

What is going on? I wonder. Do we really own the land? Nature has control; we do not. Sometimes we need to remember that. Sometimes like now.


Just joined the Campaigner Challenge. Paying forward. I like the concept.