The Worm and The Pear: Blown Away

Ohio is land-locked. We're about as far away from the coastlines as you can get. Buckeyes worry about tornados, ice storms and blizzards. Guess we need to add hurricanes to that list.

Hurricane Ike swept through on Sunday. The kids and I had just gotten home from the grocery store when I saw a chunk of our siding blow by the living room window. I yelled for Mike, and before you know it, nearly all of the siding on the side of our house was gone. Neighbors helped us gather the pieces and stick them into the garage. It was kind of exciting and a little bit scary at the same time. These things were just whipping by and you certainly didn't want to get hit by one! The kids watched safely from the window as we worked. All of the siding on that side of the house ending up coming down, as well as a section on the other side. We live in a total wind tunnel that goes from the back of our house to the front. Luckily, the front and back siding came out unscathed.

We also lost half a tree. I put some tree tar on the part that had to be cut off, so hopefully it will survive. We only have two trees in the yard, so I'd hate to see that one go!

Champ, surveying the damage. (He's actually probably looking for food.)

We know we were lucky. There was no serious damage and we were all safe. The entire region of the state lost power and we were fortunate enough to get ours back in 24 hours.

Taylor, enjoying a non-cooked meal by candlelight.

What storm?

Mike nearly had a heart attack when he realized that he would miss the Steelers Sunday night game. True fans are resourceful, though. Our neighbor Al dug out an old 9" TV that can be plugged into a car. It was funny seeing three grown men huddled around a tiny TV in Jason's garage. Eh, the Steelers won so I guess it was worth it.

Cigars and Steelers. Typical Sunday ritual on an atypical day.

We thank God that we made it through relatively unscathed. We'll be hunkering down for the ice and snow storms before you know it.

My office was closed most of the week and Mike and Taylor were out of school. I hate sitting around, so I took the kids to the zoo on Wednesday. We had a great time!