Jane Doe, Alive and Well

Whew! I’d say this storm had our full attention.
Everybody okay?
Several of our friends still don’t have power, which makes me feel like a real wimp for being the least bit impatient the day and a half ours was out. I’ve learned that I wouldn’t have made a good pioneer. Another day stuck inside with two small children and dim light, and well, I have to admit I was a little on edge. I guess we all were. Especially those who couldn’t get their daily caffeine supply. You really don’t want to get in their way.
If I could be guaranteed there would be no loss of life or damage to property, I’d wish for the storm to hang around a bit longer. A storm can generate some positive consequences, and I don’t mean just raising the water level in Lake Oroville or the free pruning our oak tree received. Dealing with a storm shakes us out of our daily stupors. It magnifies the things that are really important and reminds us that sometimes we’ve lost sight of what those important things are (a note to all of you waiting at Dutch Brothers – coffee does not make the list). It reminds us to be grateful for the luxuries we live with (like heat and hot water) and the conveniences we have (like refrigerators). And it reminds us not to take our utility service for granted – it could be run by the mafia, like the garbage companies in Naples*.
Of course, I only want the storm when it best fits into my schedule; the shelves stocked with non-perishable food, an extra non-electric can opener in my kitchen, the laundry caught up and boots that actually fit the rapidly growing feet of my son**. And enough ice to keep my freezer cold, which is where I blew it with this storm. But what a great opportunity to deep clean my freezer. Every ten years whether it needs it or not, I always say.
That’s the thing about storms, though. They are just so darn uncontrollable. And inconvenient. And rather messy. You can be aware of them, you can prepare for them, but you can’t control them. You can only control how you respond to them.
What a great analogy for life. I’ll have to write about that tomorrow – provided our electricity stays on.

Jane Doe Thanks: each and every PG & E worker trying to get the power restored, especially the crews who came from out of state to help us out, and the couple of crews who recently dragged into the Italian Cottage looking tired, wet and hungry. We really do appreciate the work you are doing. If you know someone who works for PG & E, e-mail them this Jane Doe Thank You in case no one else remembers to tell it to them! They are the recipients of the very first Jane Doe Thanks award. What an honor, to be sure.

Links for this article:
**If you need info on what to put in a disaster supply kit try:
http://www.fema.gov
or for those of you who don’t trust the government, try here:
http://www.redcross.org
You have to maneuver through the site but can eventual find really detailed lists of what to put in a disaster supply kit. They even remembered your pets – something I had completely overlooked. I’d be glad to post any less-complicated links with the same kind of information; just e-mail them to me so I can check them out.
*If you don’t believe me about the Naples trash story, check out this link here:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKL0367814920080103