Powerless

I drove Chuck to the vet's office Friday evening, for his 6-month heart echocardiogram.  The weather was warm but gusty, and there was light rain.  Poor Chuck did NOT like the way the wind blew his carrier cover around!  He fervently sang the song of his people.

Dr. Griffen was pleased with Chuck's heart sounds, and even liked that he's put on a little bit of weight!  YAY!  We are to keep up with his four heart meds daily, and she added metronidazole for awhile, to aid his ongoing gastrointestinal issues.  It was a long vet office visit, but worth every second!

When we got back outside, there was lightning overhead, and it was really blowing now.  As I called home to announce our pending arrival, I only heard a fast busy signal and could not get through.  I put the car in gear, and away we went.

Fifteen minutes later, as I turned onto our street, there was a fire truck...with lights flashing...IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE! 

Gulp!

An old, dead tree in the alley behind the neighbor's house had crashed down on the power lines in the high wind while we were at the vet's, and the whole block was out of power.  The fireguys who blocked the driveway, were making sure the wires weren't going to set anything (like our barn!) on fire.

See the tree laying on the wires?

Our really old lilac bush cracked apart too; The Hubby
said it was planted by his mother a long time ago

Metro Detroit, Michigan and points farther west and north were all hit hard by the storm, so our powerless block was not the highest priority for the utility people.  Since it was warm and sunny Friday and Saturday, there was no panic.  The Hubby kept pots of water heating on the gas stove, for warmth.

Sunday morning, however, as the temps began to drop, we got concerned. Although both The Hubby and I were pleased about Chuck's vet info (and he's reacted well to the metronidazole!), this gloomy outlook with no power gave us the blues.  We lit out in the car, for some coffee and a drive in the country.  Back home again, a utility truck was in the alley behind our house, and the hard-hat man said the old tree had been cleared away, and they were about to start re-stringing lines. He gave me a quote of two hours.  But he was wrong...it only took one hour!  The heat is back on, the water heater is getting hot, and The Hubby has a college basketball game to watch. 

WHEW!

They took down the caution tape and got to work!

Being powerless meant that Sweetie and Patty O'Malley had no warming pad in The Cat Hotel. Again, lucky that Friday and Saturday were warmer than normal, even overnight, so the two cats did not get too chilled.

Patty only wants belleh rubs...but he's got a new
wound on his nose

Sweetie slept in the sunshine on Saturday!
I took this from inside the back door, so as not to
disturb her nap