Oh yes, we lost power... It went off at 5:30 pm EDT Sat. night and just came back at 5:15 pm EST today, Sunday. 24 hours and 45 minutes (but who's counting). Our line goes over the river and through the woods and they always seem to save it for last. Telephone went off today too, so I couldn't get online (dialup). Temperature in the house got down to about 51 degrees by this afternooon. At least I had my pot of (cold) coffee and the Halloween candy... I went down to the beach this morning - the beach grass buffer zone repelled the waves and there's no damage to the cliff. The beach looked wonderfully smooth as if the storm had ironed it. Just one guy and two happy dogs walking on the sand. The danger zone down the beach was OK too, the water was up to the cliff, but didn't take a bite. I checked with my neighbor - the tree that came down on the property line laid a few branches on his hot tub, but it still holds water, so he's not worried. I'll get an arborist to remove the tree. Last night was hairy at the time of high tide, when the winds and waves were roaring. I was very thankful for my battery-operated radio which helped distract me from the sounds - it was dark so I couldn't see what the trees and waves were doing - all I could do was listen and hope. I jury-rigged a support system for my bent-over wisteria standard so it's upright until I figure out a better support. The good thing is that it will probably bloom beautifully next year. A storm got it last year and this spring was the best bloom it's ever had. Some people beat their wisteria with bats and savagely root prune them to force bloom - I just wait for another storm. Did I mention how nice it is to have heat in the house? I was NOT looking forward to another cold night, or morning rather, with temperatures forecast for low 30's overnight. Bed is nice and warm, but getting up in a cold room can be unpleasant. Not to mention getting dressed. I was also worried about the more tender tropical houseplants And now I can open the refrigerator and freezer without fear. Is the hurricane season over yet? Claire

It doesn't look like there is going to be any let up here either. The weather report for tomorrow looks the same as that for today and it has been coming down non stop all day long. We got about 18 inches although shoveling it feels more like 18 feet. There is no place to put it. Mount P is getting higher on our lawn. You know it's alot of snow when that mountain of snow starts to take shape and grow. The city has declared a state of emergency so no one can go out on the roads.

Ha. Thanks guys. It was kind of pretty as a juxtaposition. Can't complain about the weather guys on this one. They told us when it looked like full blown summer that winter was coming the next day. So, I decided to get some before shots for the after. The cold did do a number on some plants, the fruiting ones that had come out. But, on most of the blooming ones in the pics, they were set back some but will be OK. Blue Bell, the least you could have done is come up and help us close the door, we may have another shot of snow tonight. Crazy. And, uhohgardner, sharp eye. The good news is the only thing we found that had been buried under the snow once it all melted was a newspaper whose headline (would have) warned us "Blizzard on the way". Ha. All children accounted for. ;) They say we got more snow last Friday than we had in the prior three years combined.

Hi Jane, I hope you are all safe and sound up there and don't get hit too badly. I was watching the Weather Network this morning and they're working themselves into hysteric mode. We are forecast to have 30 - 40 mm of rain and winds gusting to 90 kmh, maybe up to 120 in some areas. It will be what it will be. Stay safe! Barbara