Remember When Halloween was on Oct 31st? by Gerri Brousseau

Last year on October 29th, we folks living in Connecticut experienced a blizzard that left over a foot of snow in its wake. Because the trees had yet to drop their leaves, many went down due to the added weight of the heavy snow, and took power lines all over the state with them. We were left with no power for days, and some of us were in the dark for weeks. Thinking back, I managed to get through it and was none the worse for wear. I was pretty lucky because I happen to have a fireplace. I was warm and dry, and was able to cook in the fireplace as well as on the grill. The worse part of it was when it got dark. I didn’t have my e-reader at that time so I couldn’t even read. The radio was the window to the world, but soon the batteries died and that window closed.

Finally after a few days, we got shoveled out and ventured out in search of … batteries. The shelves of the local grocery store were empty. I felt like I was living in a futuristic novel taking place after a nuclear attack. I felt like I was scavenging for anything that could be used for survival.

Halloween was postponed last year. How could that happen? Well, surely it would never happen again.  Oh no?

This year, on the exact same day (10/29) we got nearly a direct hit by Hurricane Sandy. The Governor declared a state of emergency and the President approved it. The tides rose up 24 feet above level. The winds came in at 90 mph. Roofs were torn off homes, trees blown down, New York City had flooding in the subway tunnels and even Wall Street closed. The famous Atlantic City boardwalk is gone. Entire neighborhoods in New Jersey have vanished. My friends in other parts of the country are sending texts, emails and messages on Facebook wondering if we are all OK. Yes, for some the power has gone out and the power company is saying it will be a while before it will go back on. Again, the radio becomes the window to the world. And again … for some … Halloween is postponed.

I was pretty lucky in that where I live we didn’t get hit all that hard. We got rain and a heck of a lot of wind, but pretty much escaped unscathed. Thank heaven. Our hearts go out to those who were affected by the fury of Sandy, and we keep them in our prayers. As always, the American people prove to be resilient in the way they all pull together in a time of crisis. I can’t help but wonder why it takes a crisis to bring us together.

If you live in the area, please tell us how you weathered the storm. If you live in another part of the country, please tell us what your news media is telling you about those of us hit by Sandy.

 

Filed under: romance