Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Power

Katie's beautiful peony!
Yesterday afternoon, as I was leaving work for home, the skies were dark with clouds and the wind was churning.  Decades-old trees lining North Broadway in Saratoga Springs were giving way to the wind, and seemed almost elastic in their bending.  I was concerned but wanted to get home quickly.  Visibility was OK for the first few minutes, but as I turned onto First Street and proceeded west, rain was coming down in sheets and hail started to ping against my windshield, bouncing off the hood of my car.  I continued cautiously down Denton Road toward Locust Grove.  As I turned northwest onto Route 9N, I couldn't clearly see what was coming at me so I turned into the parking lot of the Kettle Restaurant and waited until things calmed down.  There were six cars there before me, doing the same thing.  It was the worst weather we've experienced here since Hurricane Irene made her presence known in September.  We never had one winter day this bad, this year.  Of course, the power was out when I got home, and Katie had made dinner (gas stove).  We settled in to a long night of waiting for power to be restored.  When I woke up at 5:30 this morning, ahead of my alarm, we were still without power, which we learned later wouldn't be back until mid-afternoon.  Well, I wanted to take a shower and wash my hair before work, so I packed up a bag and headed to the Skidmore gym to use the locker room shower.  When I checked in to the sports center, I was informed that the locker rooms were out of commission for an upgrade, and I was given the access code to the guest teams' locker room.  At first I was impressed - it looked like a great place for half-time motivation - until I turned on the shower.  The nozzle sprayed water in a half-spray, half-mist (freezing cold!) and in a 5-foot diameter circle.  No water seemed to fall within the radius of that circle.  So there I was, trying to get wet chasing the circumference of this icy waterfall, and then trying to get the shampoo out of my hair - not so easy.  I said "forget it" to the conditioner.  I had been looking forward to using the wall dryer for my hair, as I did in the "regular" locker room.  No dryer.  So, my  hair dried like the wild woman that I was this morning, and I arrived in the office with a somewhat different look than what my co-workers are used to!

The day got better, though.  This afternoon, I made it to Henry's graduation from his nursery school class (adorable ceremony) and when I got home, the power was indeed back on.  Little things seemed so significant.  I got out of the car and was drawn to Katie's peony bushes, and snapped a few photos.  Then I took a couple of pictures of the flowers that were my Mother's Day gift, now in a window box.  I had dinner with Henry and Pete while Katie ran an errand, gave them a bath, got them in their PJs, and settled them down with yet another Thomas movie before their mom returned.  Pete was snoring in the crook of my arm when Katie got home, and Henry was trying to convince us that "two more minutes" of Thomas was all he needed, as his eyes were trying to stay open.  It had been a very long day.

Henry's graduation today

The sound of the refrigerator, the whir of a fan, cold milk from the fridge, and light at the flick of a switch made me grateful for the power that keeps us going.

For a day that started out with no power, barely a shower, and wild and crazy hair, the evening was one of cozy comfort and appreciation for the littlest people, and things.

Pretty posies...

7 comments:

  1. We continue to learn as we grow older that it will always be the "smaller" things that bring the greatest joys! The beauty of a flower...the smile on a young graduate's face..the warmth of a shower...the comfort of a sleeping toddler. These will be the memories that bring the smiles down the road,...

    ReplyDelete
  2. We never lost power, but on the occasions when we do, it certainly makes you very appreciative of what we have on a daily basis. When power is out I like to grab a book, or if any of the kids are home I pull out a board game. Simple times!
    Henry looks so cute at his Graduation!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love this post :) Glad your power is back and I'm glad you always have so many wonderful, special moments with your family - they are what matters most!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a great post! Congratulations to Henry - what a special day for all of you.

    I had heard recently from a co-worker about the trials and tribulations of using the shower in the visitors team locker room. Now I know after watching years of basketball at Skidmore why the visiting women's teams were out of there so quickly and sitting in the stands with wet hair! :-)

    Beautiful flowers that both you and Katie have at home. I love this type of year when everything starts to just pop open with a rainbow of color and happiness.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely post! Are those flowers from your garden?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh Jeannie...you did it again! Why do I always have tears in my eyes when I read your beautifully simplistic & joyful tales of your life in general, and your life as a Grandmother in particular?! Every ounce of your love jumps from the page when we read about your adorable Henry, and feel the tremendous pride you have & joy you receive by being so close to your Katie, enabling you to be a powerful presence in your Grandchildren's lives! And I can only imagine how their love for you will continue to grow with each passing year as they become more & more aware of how lucky they are to have you for a Grandma! I just returned from Colorado and witnessed the exact same thing twice over with my sister Jan & with my God Children's (Terri Gibson Whitfield's kids that moved to Denver to live with their Dad after Terri passed away)Step Mom Barb, and her Step Grandchildren, my Great God Children! In spite of the fact that these children are not theirs by blood, it is very evident from the 1st moment you see their interaction with them the incredible love & satisfaction they have being a Mother & Grandmother to these children! And I must confess that I, too, as their God Mother & Great God Mother, feel such an intense connection when I am there & able to spend time with them, and feel horrible sadness when I must leave! Yes indeed, the best things in life are free! And most importantly, you make us all recognize & realize the beauty of family, and that the most basic things in life are those we cannot bear to be without! And for this I say Thank You!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jeannie, I'm sorry but I did chuckle a bit when I read about your experience at the Sports Center....I can just imagine it...been there, done that. I'm sure you looked beautiful, you always do.
    J

    ReplyDelete