Power Outage

Two nights ago we lost power. We are not 100% certain why this was - it had been storming on and off all evening, but we ended up loosing power and our friends down the street didn't. 

Needless to say, we grabbed the flashlight and lit some candles. Getting ready for bed with no power (and toting the candle around) reminded me briefly of growing up in Peru, when either the power towers would get blown up and therefore parts of the city end up with no power or scheduled power outages would be in effect due to electricity shortages. Back then, it was part of everyday life. Life had to go on (which involved doing homework and eating by candlelight... and not in the romantic sort of way), we couldn't stand around and wait for the power to come back on like we did the other night. Also, unlike the other night, when we lost power back in Peru we knew exactly what the reason was.

Pellet and Cali were quite confused... I wonder what was going through their little heads "if all lights are out, shouldn't we be sleeping? what's going on?" Here's a quick video!

Support

Unfortunately the situation at work continues down hill… right when we think we have hit rock bottom we get a rude awakening that we’re still on our way down. On that thought, Norm’s position was eliminated last week. He had a tough decision to make at the time and what came of it is that he is going to take the opportunity to move forward on his own. There is absolutely no reason to take a step backwards with this company because there is no future with this company.

What I have (and I’m still finding) interesting is the levels of support that people around us are (and are not) extending. Support has shown its face in various ways: whether it’s venting to friends over drinks, or listening to different points of views from older people, or a simple call that says “you guys are in my prayers” or a text that says “I’ve been through it, everything will work out” or a quick call to see how the job search is going.

Then there are people around us that pretend nothing is happening. No acknowledgement, no sign of care. They are moving on with happy-go-lucky-everyday life.

I want to go ahead and put out there that I am not expecting people to show support or sympathy. We are owed nothing. All I am stating is that:

1. The support given is meaningful and appreciated. Although the calls, texts and emails are purely emotional support (although we won’t turn down monetary support! joke!), they provide all the motivation and hope to keep moving forward.

2. I understand that through difficult times some folks shut down and are uncomfortable sharing their thoughts.

3. Although I have been guilty of not always providing encouraging words to those around me, I am learning that no matter how uncomfortable it is for me to say something to the one who is undergoing a hard time, the impact of my actions on the other person are going to be so significant that I just need to get out of my comfort zone for their sake.

To all those who are thinking about us, praying for us, calling us and being attentive of us – a huge thank you!

And thank you Pablo for posting a post that’s fitting like a glove during these times.

Blood Donors

This afternoon Norm and I donated blood at the church! (and neither one passed out).

Last time I donated blood I was in college and passed out in the middle of class (actually in the bathroom though) and my friend had to drive me home. So with that in mind I was a tiny bit hesitant about donating today... only side effect: a little light headed-ness and a little soreness.

I think I just might be a regular blood donor (whenever possible) moving forward!

Strange Creature

I think it started a few weeks ago - or at least that's when I noticed it. One of Pellet and Cali's mini routines is the night routine. They go outside to pee, then they come inside. Pellet goes over to Norm's side and Cali lays on her bed by my side (sometimes she eats dirt off the bathroom plant, sometimes she lays on my bed, but whatever, that's besides the point).

I started noticing that Pellet would come over to Norm's side and stick his head under the bed. Yes, you read that right, he sticks his head under the bed.

What does this look like under the bed?

In case you are wondering, all the above pictures were taken on different nights.

He's so strange!

A Full Rainbow

This evening, the storm left a full bright rainbow over our house! Neither Norm or I had ever seen a full rainbow. I don't know what the chances are of full rainbows showing up, all I know is that I thought I had seen it all (when it comes to rainbows) last year when we saw the double rainbow.

 

Cicadas

We are going on about a week now since the cicada buzz started. Last Saturday I woke up to a distant siren-like noise. Quickly I found out that different people throughout the lake could also hear this same noise. Taking advantage of technology I posed a question on Facebook to see if any of my local friends knew what this noise was. In a matter of minutes I found out that the noise was the cicadas.

Since, I have learned that these insects come every 13 years and could potentially stay through the Summer... At first I thought it would be annoying, but surprisingly enough I have become rather used to this loud buzz and am pretty sure the dogs are enjoying it too because they are spending unbelievable amounts of time outside, on their own, relaxing.

How loud could it really be? Turn up the volume of your computer and listen to this video that I took this morning in my backyard (please excuse the panting of the dogs at the beginning):

Here are some interesting facts:

* The periodical cicadas, which live on a 13-year cycle, are smaller than the so-called "dog day" cicadas that emerge every summer. But their numbers make them seem louder.
* Periodical cicadas emerge in the spring, have black bodies, bright red eyes and orange-veined wings.
* Cicada nymphs emerge from the ground, crawl up trees, shed their skins, and fly to the treetops from which the males call for mates. Females reply with wing clicks to lure in the males.
* Only male cicadas sing, and they sing only during the day.
* Cicadas are not pests, so there is no reason for alarm.
* Cicadas are not locusts: Locusts eat all plants -- cicadas sip plant sap and don't damage plants.
* Female cicadas lay their eggs in slits in twig tips; this can cause the end of the branch to die and fall off
* This year's periodical cicadas come from eggs laid in 1998 -- when this year's high school graduating class was in kindergarten. [this one is scary!]

Source: www.11alive.com; Macon, GA

Wildlife Greetings

In our house, as you're coming down the first part of the hallway you look straight out the window of the den. The window faces one side of the fence and then out into the woods. The other day I was coming down the hallway, I looked up and saw this:

Isn't it neat?

I suppose it's neat as long as he's eating the trees in the woods and not my hydrangeas...