[img]1325|left|Alex Campbell ||no_popup[/img]Dateline Boston — I’m into weather, especially severe weather. The worst that we’ve ever gotten in Boston was a snowstorm. I was pumped up when the weather forecasters started talking about Hurricane Sandy days before it struck. That is, until it struck.
We didn’t get hit hard in Boston. H and I half-heartedly prepared by getting two gallons of water and a few cans of food. I took the flashlights out of the drawer and put them in various places in the apartment in the event we needed them. I filled up the bathtub halfway with water. Apparently, you’re supposed to fill your bathtub with water so that if the power goes out you can flush your toilets. Our bathtub is about a hundred years old. The tub faucet doesn’t work; if you turn it on, a disgusting stream of brown rusty water comes out. I used the shower hose to fill the tub. When it was halfway full, I got tired of holding the sprayer, so I just left it. H convinced me that the drain on our ancient tub worked. We were ready for Sandy.
On Monday when Sandy hit, it was windy, but not really rainy. Schools were closed, and I figured it would get really bad in the afternoon. There were so many things to do before we lost power. I could work on my wedding album, I could write some essays, I could continue reading the book I had recently started. I did none of these things. You know what I did? I sat on the couch with the TV on for more than five hours, watching coverage of the hurricane and playing games on my iPhone. It was one of the most unproductive days I think I’ve ever had, except for when I’ve had the flu.
Speaking of Power
All day long we waited for Sandy, and Sandy didn’t come to us. That night it started raining pretty badly. Then there was a storm with thunder and lightning. It felt like something, but our power never went out. Our bathtub had slowly drained during the night; turns out our really old plug was not so trustworthy. Thank goodness we didn’t actually need any water. Perhaps the next day would be worse.
But no, the next day was better! The wind and rain had stopped. It actually was warm outside. Schools were closed again. H and I went walking around the neighborhood, assessing the damage. On our block, there were lots of leaves and twigs around. That was it. My thoughts turned to my hometown of New York City and neighboring New Jersey, which were hit badly. It was shocking, and still is, to see photos of the devastation that Sandy wreaked on certain areas. It hit close to home. We don’t usually get weather like this around these parts. A hurricane? That happens in the south. Well folks, it’s here now. Call it what you will, global warming, weather trend, a natural pattern…the weather has been wonky for the past few years, and I don’t see it changing. I won’t assume anymore that we get a certain kind of weather in these parts because the fact is, we’ve had all kinds.
My pumped up attitude about a storm was humbled a bit by Sandy. I’ve donated to the Red Cross, and I’m keeping tabs on people via email and Facebook. I pray that Mother Nature calms down a bit and gives everyone a break (of course, there’s a Nor’easter dumping snow on Boston as I write this). In the meantime, I’ll go to the hardware store and buy a plug for the bathtub. Better safe than sorry.
Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com
