I have discovered that when you’re involuntarily disconnected from technology for any length of time and are stuck in that ‘hurry-up-and-wait’ mode, it’s hard to get caught up and get back into the groove once you get reconnected. But I’ll get there. We’re slowly but surely getting things cleaned up after pesky Sandy – we’ve always been far enough inland to not have to worry about too much disturbance from a major storm, but obviously Sandy had other ideas.
Our basement is still a huge mess, and as we’re digging through the piles of stuff that got soaked (and discovering items I forgot were stored down there that are now needing to sadly be relegated to the trash) we’re still thankful that we have a basement to clean up and dry out.
The hubby managed to get our furnace dried out enough to fire it up on Friday, so we were able to get warm again, and after tirelessly working on the hot water heater whenever he had a free moment, it finally fired back up on Sunday and didn’t sputter back out. Probably the best and most appreciated hot shower in a very long time.
We’re expecting a Nor’easter to roll in on Wednesday – the weather people are still not committing to whether it will be in the form of rain or snow. Either way, the hubby decided to hedge our bets and ordered a generator. I think he’s secretly hoping that now that he bought one, we won’t end up with a power outage of that level ever again. You know, Murphy’s Law.
I’ll be glad that if we do have another power outage we’ll be able to at least fire up the fridge and the basement freezer so we don’t lose as much stored food like we did this time – including the Thanksgiving turkey I had bought on sale and had in the bottom shelf of the basement freezer. At least there’s still time to get another one – it could be worse.
The good news is that in spite of losing a bunch of stuff in the basement, I lost less wine than I originally thought – only about 4 cases instead of the 10+ cases I thought were submerged in the murky water for days. Turns out those other cases were my stock of empty wine bottles.
I’ve discovered firsthand that biodegradable boxes sure don’t take long to break down once they get wet, though – we’ve been making a big soggy pile on one side of the basement that the hubby has a fan blowing directly towards to dry them out – that way they’ll be easier/lighter to move, and easier to burn rather than fill up garbage cans with a soggy mess. I’ve decided our next house I’ll be building my own official wine cellar – a waterproof one.
Speaking of wine… One of the wine batches I currently have working right now is Chocolate Orange Port – I saw these cute little port sippers and had to get them:
Aren’t those cute? They kind of look like little headless dinosaurs or cats according to Princess Nagger. And they’re really small – here’s a comparison:
I’m looking forward to breaking them in once the port is ready. I also picked up some extras for the scheme I’m brewing for my annual birthday giveaway. You’ll just have to wait for that, though.
In other news… did you know that the 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Sir John B. Gurdon for work that revolutionized the understanding of how cells and organisms develop? What’s interesting is the image found online of his high school report card:
So those of us with uniquely intelligent children could very well have future Nobel Prize winners on our hands.
And now for a Body by Vi update…
Week four was a bust, what with not having power and having to throw out all the fresh fruit I had gotten right before the storm hit – though not technically a bust since I didn’t gain during the week, but we’ll just count last week as the challenge being on ‘pause’ since I didn’t have anything to mix the shake mix in, and we’ll count this week as week four.
That’s a wrap for week – link up and join in the fun. Everyone is welcome, random or not.
Edited to add: I forgot the original title of this post referred to an update on Princess Nagger’s upcoming birthday, but edited it out completely to save for next week since it was making this post way too long. Sorry for the confusion.
.
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.
Keeping the random alive – feel free to snag a badge and play along – one for my wino friends:
And one for my non-wino friends:
I’m also linking up with two stellar ladies, Shawn and Impulsive, the lovely hosts of Talk To Us Tuesday. There are no rules so link away.
More Tuesday hops – if you’re stopping by here from there, please do me a favor and follow via LinkyFollowers – since I was robbed of my GFC followers when the cads at Goggle decided to boycott non-Blogger blogs.
I’m glad to hear that things are getting back in order for you. Sounds like you had quite a mess from Sandy, but it also sounds like you’re thankful that it wasn’t worse. I’ve never seen Porto Sippers that look like that; they’re pretty neat.
Terra Heck would like you to read ..Random Tuesday Thoughts – End of Camping Season
Yes, I’m so glad you didn’t get really knocked around with Sandy! I have a cousin name Sandy & I told her that’s why they named that tornado after her cuz she’s such a twister!… Nevermind you had to be there. LOL We have those sippers here at Walmart & they’re not half bad. Anyway getting tired. Off to dreamland my friend. Talk at ya later. Thanks for being there for me & if there’s anything I can do never hesitate to ask.
Xmasdolly would like you to read ..SHOW OFF TUESDAY! REVIEWS & GIVE-AWAYS!
XmasDolly you make me laugh with your story in here. me too I have friend name sandy but the spelling of her name is shandy with “H”, and I tell her that all the people you know you make them twisted that always around in you..
Fatima Hipolito would like you to read ..adhd remedy
I ditto everyone’s comments of “glad to hear you’re getting back to normal”. I know this has been a horrible mess and yes, I’m certain your husband is onto something with going ahead with buying the generator. You’ll probably NEVER need it now. My in-laws have a generator which they use quite frequently. While you were needing an arc during Sandy, they were getting hit heavily with the snow storm and were without power for several days, too. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and say a pray that the nor’easter is a pussy cat. Isn’t it funny how these great people, such a Sir John had interesting remarks made about them? I recall a similar thing said about Dr. Suess regarding his nonsense style of writing. It’s usually those who think differently who excel above the rest of us. Thanks for hosting! Have a good election day, my friend!
Oh the port sippers are so cute, I thought they looked like cats too.
Hoping you get your basement sorted soon.
That report card snippet is too funny, I wonder if the teacher would remember writing this?!
daisy would like you to read ..London shenanigans.
I think its impressive that you are up and running. I know all about basement flooding and I wish you luck in quickly and effectively drying things out. Good luck with the next Nor’Easter and have a great week.
Meryl would like you to read ..Quayleisms and Quirky Quotes: Embracing the Human Side of Politicians and the Power of Language
That’s so awesome about the Nobel winner. I’ll be showing my AJ this.
Happy Drying out. I do hope all goes well
kyooty would like you to read ..fitting in the walking
Seems like a trend amongst the super smart. Wasn’t Einstein a total goof-off in school? So if your kids are seemingly intelligent but don’t pay attention, they may one day win the Nobel prize! Glad things are getting cleaned up.
Claire would like you to read ..Random (Talk to us) Tuesday – various and some GIFs!
Glad your power is back on and things are getting back to normal. Hope the next storm doesn’t knock out your electricity again.
Heather would like you to read ..It’s A Random Tuesday
I want port! SOunds lovely! I love those glasses too!
Noelle ( would like you to read ..Rose Romano’s Italian Peppers Review + Giveaway
The fear of losing literally thousands of dollars worth of food in our freezers should the power go out is the exact reason we’re looking into getting a generator ourselves. Where did you get yours and how much did it cost, if you don’t mind me asking?
Jan’s Sushi Bar would like you to read ..Don’t Celebrate Just Yet
That port sounds Delicious. Makes me wish I lived closer. Then we could share some–drinking wine alone is kind of sad.
Relieved to hear you are all well and starting to sort things out in the wake of Sandy. It really is something like this that makes you realize how much we have to be grateful for, right? Things could always be worse…
I am so sorry that you are dealing with all that water! Who would ever thing that hot water would be a luxury, but it truly is during times like this. At least no one in your house was hurt.
Tina would like you to read ..So It’s Tuesday…
We went a week without showering too over here, so I know the icky feeling! I try to store things in the plastic Rubbermaid totes and it helps cut down on losses a little. At least the damage wasn’t as bad as you thought!
Good that your DH bought a generator, you’ll be so happy to have it in the future. Make sure he runs it once a month for a few minutes to keep it in good shape!
Storm, the Psychotic Housewife would like you to read ..Random Thoughts Tuesday – 399 Days
Am more relieved to hear about the wine than thr hot water heater- although both are very good news! Hope this next storm doesnt set you back!
Julia’s Math would like you to read ..Stalin’s Halloween… Why I Send My Mother My Therapist’s Bills Every October
Those sippers are adorable! Phew…wine rescue! Too bad the power was out too long to have more than defrosted things, or you could have just had a cooking-palooza with your new appliances!
Andrea would like you to read ..Vote for Random
Found you from the Tuesday Train! Sounds like you’ve had a quite a week! We got hit down here in VA, but not nearly as bad as up north did. I hope this next storm is a little easier on you!!
AnnieD would like you to read ..Free Jewelry, Anyone?
Hey Doll..drop by to inform you that I gave you the Liebster Award – love to know more about ya!http://revampspunkyrena.blogspot.com/2012/11/liebster-award-yay.html
xoxo
Rena
So glad you are alright and getting cleaned up.
Very good news too about your wines and I love that porto sippers thingies. So cute.
I don’t drink though, so it wouldn’t help me 🙂 Maybe when I grow up 🙂
And we have a generator too. Not sure where dh got it again, but alas no use as yet and hope not.
*HUG*
JamericanSpice / Colette S would like you to read ..The Choice You Have Is a Gift – Use It!
Hang in there. That has to be really frustrating to loose a bunch of stuff!
So glad you’re finding your way through the mess. Hope this week’s storm is as lame as my random Tuesday post 😉
Becki would like you to read ..Random Tuesday Thoughts
So glad you are getting back into the swing of things;) (and had a shower, lol) Great attitude about your loses, but your right we need to appreciate having a cellar even when we lose so much in the cellar:)
Evelyn would like you to read ..Patchwork Quilt Chair
I’m glad things are falling into place for you now. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad that everything is under control now! Thanks for sharing and I wish you all the best 🙂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and it’s good to know that everything is back on track. All the best! Thanks!
Those glasses are so cute, and no, I don’t think they look like headless cats. They’re adorable!
This is the first time I’ve come across your blog and you remind me of Sarah Strohmeier’s lead character in her mystery paperbacks, Bubbles Yablonski. Random, and super cool!
The rescued wine! Of course! after the disaster that Sandy caused, everybody has a reason to celebrate. Cheers!
Your post is like an ice breaker, not too serious, and not to sassy to take it seriously. Keep on posting!
Good thing you never broke down in the midst of a storm crisis. And thumbs up to the saved wine!