(October 30, 2011) My husband and I returned Friday night from a short trip to Washington, D.C., only to learn snow was on the way later Saturday. But when we woke up Saturday morning, snow already was falling and falling. After a quick trip to the supermarket, we settled down to recuperate from our trip when the power went out. The snow continued to nearly a foot deep, bowing the still leafy trees. Some branches broke under the heavy weight.
Oh, no, our new generator was in the shop for under-warranty repairs. But among the many phone messages was one from the generator shop saying the machine was ready for pickup. Thanks to our son-in-law with a truck, we got the generator up and running before 7 p.m.
This is the second time we have been attacked by snow in October. The last time, on Oct. 23, 2008, our township was the primary target of heavy snow which downed many trees and power lines, making roads impassable, too. We were stuck for days, which prompted us to buy a big home power generator which we used for the first time during the recent Hurricane Irene power outage. Then the generator worked but constantly spit oil.
Now, our generator is giving power to some essential services -- the well pump for water, the furnace for heat, the refrigerator, a few lights, the telephone, TV and my computer.
We tried listening to a battery-powered radio for info on the storm and no station was broadcasting what was happening. So thankfully we can check the TV news and Recorder Community Newspapers online where updates are posted daily by editors as well as bloggers.
Any individual or group representative interested in joining the 60+ bloggers communicating online at Recorder's website at newjerseyhills.com is welcome to contact me at (908) 832-7420 or panderson@recordernewspapers.com for more information on this free program. All you need is access to the Internet and an e-mail.
