Last year we knew our New Orleans Saints were going to the Super Bowl. That is because it NEVER snows in our little southern town. Last year it snowed here three times! Not ice, but REAL snow. That is also why, although I was suffering from salmonella food poisoning, I still got up out of bed and hosted a Super Bowl party for our Saints. Robby thought we should probably cancel it, but I insisted we not do that; who knew if we would EVER be in the Super Bowl again. And I am so happy that the party did go off as planned, because obviously, our dear Saints were suffering from a "Super Bowl Hangover" this year...and THAT explains it all.
When I heard the weather forecast for this week, I dreaded it. An ice storm was coming our way. Notice I did NOT say snow, but ice. And, although ice creates the lovely appearance of a winter wonderland, it causes many problems for us here in the south. First, most places of business immediately close their doors and the schools close theirs as well, which is actually a pretty good idea, since southerners are ill-equipped to drive in that white slippery stuff. You can't play in ice like you can in the snow, so basically all you can do is just stay inside and attempt to keep warm. Which brings me to the next problem that generally occurs with ice storms...the ice accumulates on the power lines and causes the electricity to go out. And THAT is exactly what I was afraid of happening this week.
When I awoke this particular morning, there was ice hanging everywhere. I knew I would not be able to get out, but since I had electricity, I wasn't too concerned about that; there was plenty I could catch up on by being stuck at home all day...it wouldn't be too bad. I spoke to my mother and sister,who were both without electricity; boy was I glad I still had mine. And right in mid sentence while talking to my sister on the telephone, it happened...my electricity went out too! Ugh...hopefully it was just one of those flickerings and it would return quickly. It was overcast outside, which made it sort of dark inside the house. I quickly went over and turned my fireplace on so it wouldn't get cold inside and then picked up my cell phone to call Robby. We have a generator attached to our house (have had it ever since Katrina) and I just needed to call him and get instructions on how to start it up. As I looked at my phone, I noticed that I didn't have any service...GREAT! I had just convinced Robby to change cell phone providers because we didn't have adequate service and now we had NO service with the new one. The house phone didn't work either since it was run off of electricity . I knew what I would do. I would jump in my car and carefully drive to the end of the road and see if I could get some phone service there. As I walked out, I realized that the garage door was closed...and it is also electric...well, CRAP! I was stuck at home with no electricity and no phones...and no way to leave. What could I do?
Thankfully, my laptop was fully charged, so I decided to begin watching Season 2 of "Glee"...and I did so for about 4 hours. During that time, I did not get my electricity back or any cell phone service. Just me and the doxies sat cuddled up in a chair with the fire burning and my DVD playing. And finally Robby returned home from work. Entering the darkened house, he appeared anxious and a bit worried because he had not been able to reach me all day and couldn't imagine what had happened to me. It apparently never even occurred to him that I had been without without electricity all day. He called Justin to check on the status of our house on the river and when we found out the electricity was on there, we quickly loaded up the dogs and headed north. Ahhh...we enjoyed a nice evening with lights...and heat...and television. And as I snuggled down into my nice warm bed that night, little did I know that the electricity would be going out there...at 2 a.m.! When I awoke at 8, it was FREEZING in the house...and I was so miserable that I couldn't bear the thought of getting out of bed and said so to Robby. He asked if we were just going to lay there all day like the grandparents on the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" movie. "Well, I suppose so, because it's WAY TOO COLD to get get out of this bed", I said. And besides...the thought of having no coffee first thing in the morning was almost as daunting as the prospect of the cold house. He eventually got up while I continued to lay there and dread having to leave my warm bed. When I finally got up, Robby had called our other house and found out that the electricity was back on there...it only took me about 2 minutes to grab my bags and doxies and head back to town. Justin commented to his dad that he had never seen me get ready to leave that quickly. Robby said it was because I was angry about the electricity being out. Justin thought for a moment and said, "Well, maybe we should make her mad every time we get ready to go somewhere and then we will always be on time." Hmph... Whatever! This weather was ridiculous! The south was just not made to handle snow and ice!
Yes, we here in Louisiana were miserable this weekend not only because of the messy and inconvenient ice storm, but also because our dear Saints were not in the Super Bowl this year. Partying, donned in our black and gold, we barely even noticed the three snows we got last year; it was fun and exciting. Perhaps we will have recovered from that "Super Bowl Hangover" by next season and be ready for another year...when the "Saints Go Marching Back In" to the Super Bowl!
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