After being without power for three days followed by another 24 hours of no internet*, it’s been very sobering looking at all the pictures of the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy.  Our situation of no power and a basement constantly having to have 2-3 feet of water pumped out every few hours over the course of those days seems piddly compared to what other people have had to endure.

Sure, I’ve lost what I personally would consider important items, like my Deluxe Buffet Server – and all my buffet equipment I use to host parties and multiple people for Thanksgiving dinner, or the myriad of winemaking equipment that is not salvageable and not safe to use, or the bottles upon bottles of wine that ended up submerged in the murky water for days that will now need to be discarded. 

We consider ourselves very lucky – in spite of the wickedly wild high winds, we didn’t have any of our trees come down, no branches landing on our house or cars, no structural damage to any of our buildings – no major loss, really, unlike those who have lost their entire homes, or the buildings and boardwalk in Atlantic City which simply disappeared in the storm, or the scores of houses in Queens that burned down to nothing.

We are very lucky.

We have an exciting weekend ahead with shoveling out the muck and grunge from the overabundance of water in the basement, salvaging what we can and cleaning what we’ve salvaged, discarding the stacks of biodegradable cardboard and boxes that have turned into piles of goo and drying everything out so we won’t have to worry about mold and mildew causing strife over the winter as the furnace in the basement pushes warm air through all the floors of the house.

At least we still have a house.  And a furnace that is working even after getting flooded that we were finally able to turn back on yesterday to eliminate the teeth chattering during dinnertime.  In spite of the unpleasant work ahead, and in spite of the disruption of normalcy, we feel blessed.

Which brings me to this week’s question:

Do you feel blessed?  If you were along the storm track, how did you fare?

Have a great weekend.

*(funny how internet was available when there was no power by way of a gas generator connected to a pole where a master box is, but as soon as power was restored and the generator removed, there was no internet. Murphy’s Law.  But all’s well now.)

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Happy Aloha Friday!

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From Kailani at An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays let’s take it easy on posting, too. Ask a simple question…nothing that requires a lengthy response. It’s a great way to make new blogging friends!

 

More Friday Follow Fun:

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29 Comments

  1. You have no idea how I am blessed in many different ways and I thank God every day. I also prayed for all my friends that had to deal with Sandy and we prayed every night for them until Sandy LEFT THE BUILDING… EARTH… WELL SHE’S GONE! I was so worried. I watched TV the whole time. All those poor people, and the ones that died. Just too sad, but as I said before I truly believe that the planet earth has been knocked off her axis a tad & that’s why the different weather and global warming etc. 20, 30, 50 yrs. from now this planet will not be as we know it today. I just feel it. I’m so happy you & yours are safe because in the end isn’t that all that matters? Together & safe. I’ll thank the Lord tonight.
    Xmasdolly would like you to read ..OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL ReviewMy Profile

  2. I’m grateful to you, my friend, and your family for being well. It truly is sobering to realize amidst our own loss or sufferings there is always someone else a 1000 times worse off than we are and it’s moments like that I personally feel humbled and thankful.

    DH spoke to folks last night who live in WV and they are still without power. They got 18 inches of snow. They do have a generator to power some appliances & lights in their home, but they are in their late 80s & early 90s. This kind of strain has been especially hard on my FIL who is doing everything.

    We escaped trouble associated with Sandy, other than some winder than usual conditions and a bit of rain. Our temperatures dipped making it a bit unseasonably cool for us, but that was due to the cold front & not Sandy. Things could have been different. The superstorm was contained outside the Tennessee Valley for the most part. My blessings are many this Friday.

    My prayers naturally are lifted on behalf of all those affected Sandy from time I learned of the impending threat and I will continue to pray steadily as those who are now trying to rebuild their lives. It’s going to take months and maybe even years for some people to reclaim some sense of normalcy. This saddens my heart. May God bless each & every person out there who is struggling in the wake of Sandy’s aftermath!

  5. I do feel very lucky. Being on the east coast, our area was hit hard. We are far enough from the coast that we didn’t get any flooding and our house is safe. I have so many friends who suffered from flooding or trees on the house, etc. We still have no electricity but considering the damage I wouldn’t expect it to be back yet.
    Anne would like you to read ..More Darkness in the Small TownMy Profile

  6. Wow Stacy that’s crazy! I’m glad that you and Princess Nagger are okay and my thoughts and prayer are with you while you try and put everything back together! I’m sorry for all the things you lost, but glad the most important things are okay! x
    PS. I love Princess Nagger’s outlook on it all, the life is like a box of crayons made me smile!
    Gone Bananas would like you to read ..Let’s Talk About It…My Profile

  7. The attitudes is what helps us to get up and moving. I love your attitude Stacy.

    I’m so glad you and your family are well, despite your damage.

    I am blessed.

    We got some wind that knocked a tree down in my yard, but it missed our roof and the gate, so it’s a blessing.

    *HUGS*
    JamericanSpice / Colette S would like you to read ..Me Intoxicated – AlohaMy Profile

  10. Sandy literally blew over the tops of the mountains by us. Since we were in the valley and a wind hit, we were spared. So many family and friends were not as lucky. Now trying to figure out how to help others and not simply send stuff. Want to figure out a way to really make a different in the areas that were destroyed.
    Beth – TheAngelForever would like you to read ..Numbing News from Hurricane SandyMy Profile

  11. I’m so glad you and your family are ok. I live in Florida so I’ve been through my share of hurricanes and know how scary they are. Sandy did so much damage my heart aches for those who lost their homes, family members or friends.
    Vicki would like you to read ..AlohaMy Profile

  12. I do feel very blessed and pray for those who were affected. On leap day 2012 we were totally surprised when a tornado blew through and destroyed part of our town and changed our lives and memories forever so I feel for those who were affected by the storm

  13. dude(ette), I was so worried about you in Tuesday. I’m so glad that’s over. We just got a bunch of nasty wind. We were more part of the cold front that caused the nasty snow in the south. Now I hear there is another storm coming. I bet it’s bad enough with the election stuff in PA.

    Have a great weekend!
    Harriet would like you to read ..Boys are way cheaper.My Profile

  14. I’ve been keeping all of my blogging buddies in my prayers. I am thankful that you and your family are well. We’ve had some horrible weather here in Trinidad that caused deaths and major accidents so I know how it feels to be at the mercy of Mother Nature. All we can really do is pray and believe that God has our backs. Keeping you in my prayers. I hope that the task of picking up the pieces is an easy and uneventful one.

    xo Tami
    Tami would like you to read ..Friday’s Favourites ツMy Profile

  16. I live out West and no where near the devastation of Sandy!
    I just can’t imagine and all the pictures and stories of ruin and destruction. It is just overwhelming. Yes I feel blessed and sadden that there is nothing I can do out here to help. I can pray though and I can donate. That is my contribution…and my hope that everyone receives what they need soon!!
    I think of the upcoming holidays and I just can’t bear what disappointment and despair some may be feeling.
    Sigh!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

  17. I’m definitely blessed, but thanks for the reminder! 😀

    Glad you’re safe. We were hit too, here in Tidewater VA, but we came through okay. Lots of flooding in the street, but we’re on high ground, so it didn’t get in. Don’t know about the other house at the beach yet, though, and I’m afraid to go look!
    Smellyann would like you to read ..Friday FragmentsMy Profile

  18. In the big picture of the aftermath reading that hyou are all safe and sound is good news. We didn’t lose power here but some in town did. Like your area it is poles and lines that were damaged. we are in the light green area and I only lost 2 chairs. I’m sorry that your wine is lost. Are there any bottles that would be concidered “rare” now due to the losses?
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  20. We were in the peripheral path of the storm in Boston, and we were extremely lucky that the damage here was kept to a minimum. It’s so sad to see what’s going on right now in NY and NJ.

    Stopping by from the Friday blog hop.

  21. I’m so happy to hear that you are all okay. You lost stuff not lives and that is what is important.

    We are blessed that we haven’t had a hurricane since we moved to hurricane country.

  22. I’m glad I live somewhere where we rarely have to deal with any kind of extreme weather (unless you consider a snowstorm “extreme”). Glad to hear you made it through OK and good luck with your clean-up.

  25. Sorry for your loss of power and the mess you have to clean up along with the items that you lost but I do understand your thankfulness. The pictures of the devastation have been so sad. ((HUGS))
    Debby Pucci would like you to read ..A POST HALLOWEEN TREATMy Profile

  26. So glad to hear that you are safe and that even though you lost precious items you didn’t lose loved ones. We don’t have hurricanes where I live only wild winter storms and tropical cyclones. I am thankful for that (although our storms seem to be more severe than they once were)!

  27. I count my blessing every single day. I’m so happy to know that you and your family faired well through Sandy. We’ve felt helpless watching all the devastation from the west coast. I felt very blessed when a call came Friday night from our church asking for blankets, jackets and children’s clothes. Saturday morning our church was able to ship off 300 boxes of items for those in need in the devastated areas. It was a blessing to all those who could help and hopefully blessing for those who will receive.
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