Hurrah!!

I have been trying to post for two days now, and I just can't seem to connect. Or if I do, I get kicked off right away. I SOOOOOO Need a new computer!!!

Christmas Spirit flew the coop! Spending three days in the dark and cold can do that to ya! You learn to cook on Coleman Stoves, You learn to always have extra propane on hand. You also learn not to cook indoors unless you have a good source of air.

there is a horrible epidemic that has come out of this blackout. And that is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, and it has resulted in at last count, 7 deaths! 4 in one family, and all are immigrants from Countries where cooking on BBQ's indoors is quite the norm. But then so is no insulation and no windows. In The Pacific Northwest, our houses have to be tight, to keep the cold at bay and conserve energy. Most of us know not to cook indoors on a briquette BBQ but there were some who were using Gas BBQ's inside, and that is not good either.

I knew that from all the years of camping, and I made sure that when I did cook inside, on my dining room table that there were at least 2 sources of air coming into the room.

It has just been horrible for the minority communities from East Africa and the Indonesian islands. And the ELDERLY!!! One woman called into the radio station in tears because she had just gone to visit her grandmother in a retirement home, and there was no heat, and no way to cook. These old people were freezing to death and starving because some city councilman did not think to make a contingency plan for these people! MY GOD FOLKS use your damn BRAINS!! When I heard that I just was flumoxed! I was assured that the retirement homes here on the island had either a generator or an alternate heat source and that their residents were ok, in the dark, but warm and fed.

Some of the outlying areas east of Seattle still are in the dark one solid week after the winds blew. The power lines have been devastated by trees and limbs. The majority of the people that were prepared are taking it all in stride, but it is the fringes of society that have not prepared for this and are blaming everyone for the power not coming back on soon enough. Once again we have an incidence of people always expecting a hand out from the government. No idea how we are going to PAY for this handout, but they think they should have one. I don't! They can be prepared just like I was. They can adapt, they can listen to the radio and not play computer games. (although I did go through free cell withdrawals) They can have canned food and a canopener that does not work on electricity. (I use one everyday)

People were stealing generators right out of the yards where people had their freezers hooked up. People were selling cans of gasoline for 10.00 a gallon along the road. People were lined up for MILES in line to get gas for their cars at the one or two stations that still had gas to dispense, and then fights were breaking out when the tanks went dry. PEOPLE LISTEN!!!! BE PREPARED!!!! Get those tanks all topped off as soon as they say a storm may be coming. If it doesnt, ah well, you can use it for the car.

One other thing that was brought to light is all the tanks full of tropical fish that died because people did not think of them. THey get cold too and die. one young man took hot water bottles and set them in his tank to keep the water warm. COOL!!! He used his head.

I did not get my Melting Moments baked, because the power was down, but I did get rum balls and bourbon balls and the fruitcakes baked. TOmorrow I will make fudge and wrap the few presents I did make for family, and then get back on track.



I put my tree up AGAIN!!! and now the lights on the outside of the house are out. They are gonna stay that way! Im done. Enough is enough. On to CHristmas and PRIME RIB!!! YUMMY STUFF!! Donna is coming home tomorrow!! WHoot!! Not to celebrate Christmas becasue she does not do that, but to see her Mommie!!! :)

Tim's Christmas Present got shipped here instead of to him, so Now I have to return it to Amazon and re-order it to get it shipped to him. THat way they are assured there is no contraband stuck in the book! (from his MOTHER???) ah well.

I will post again tomorrow, IF I CAN GET ON LINE!!!!! Meanwhile, all of you drive safely and have a very Merry Christmas! See you next week.