Saturday 13 December

Still no power and it's quite cold, it cleared overnight and got very cold, low teens at least. I can see my breath here in the house. I covered my more tender house plants with towels last night and put extra blankets on the fish tanks. We were warm in my room, once the door is shut and we are all in there, we generate our own heat which is very nice. Mind you I wore 2 pairs of sleep pants, socks and 8 tops, including a very heavy sweater, and a hat. I had brought in 2 candles so that I could read for a bit and I wore mittens. But all in all I feel very, very tired and slightly discouraged. This is a sad endurance event. I called the power company and they aren't even taking calls -- technical difficulties, they said -- yeah, 200,000 irate customers breathing down your lousy necks. I yelled You suck! into the phone and thought I'd be better off saving my energy.

The kick in the ass is the ugly little development that borders my back yard has power. They had it last night when I went to bed around 6:30. I had called my mother so as to have someone to talk to. I had simply pulled my chair up to the window and was watching cars go by.

As it is, the dogs need normalcy and so I took them for our walk this morning and I must say it is beautiful out. The sun is up and the light is a soft and lovely gold tinged blue. The trees are, naturally, encased in ice and look magical. It is a uniquely beautiful day such as I see only rarely. It heartened me.

Tho my back doorknob was frozen when I first got up and that disheartened me. I thought I would never get it open but I kept exhaling warm breath on it and finally I was able to open the back door and let out Bella!

Maya just came back in. She was out maybe an hour. It is that sparklingly cold out.

Thankfully I still have some good books to read. I will call the library later and see if they have power and go over there if they do.

I felt great comfort and reassurance from the dogs' warm, affectionate presence, Fergus in particular.

I am right now eating crackers and peanut butter. I can't cook without electricity. I am grateful to have the crackers, grateful also I have food enough for the animals. I may venture down the hill at some point and see what's happening at the church and on Broad Street. If the church's power situation is like mine then who knows if I will be able to get in to clean or if we will have worship. It's so clod. Cold. And I feel tired from the cold and having less food to eat.