I still only have half my power from the storm during the weekend, so its been about 3 days. At least all the important appliances have power. I cleaned up the backyard today from the storm and it is al pretty much back to normal. The weather is great here now, we got in the 60s, and we will approach the 70s! I have a few plants outside, but none of the heavy ones, just incase I have to drag it back in for another frost. All the tulips are coming up around the area and there are buds on the daffodils. My camellia buds are getting big now too so it wont be long before those bloom, also my chives are up, and pollen is definitely filling the air. Spring really is pretty much here over here, still might be a light frost or freeze (can never rule them out this time of the year), but Im all ready to send my plants outside for the summer. Good luck!

We were right in the crosshairs of this thing and I can tell you that after 52 yrs. of living in the same area, I've never seen such destruction. The beachfront I grew up on and spend as much time as possible at to this day has been utterly ravaged...and we didn't get it as bad as others, especially the barrier islands south of here. The ocean came up with a vengeance and took a big bite out of a massive area. The town where the infamous Jersey Shore show is filmed was all but wiped out. Amusement rides and pier now in the Atlantic, and if you lived there...well, you're in for a rough several months of cleanup and repair. We are about a mile from the beach, so our damage was minimal. Some branches down, my bananas shredded, my windmill unscathed by it all. But walking down on Tue. morning and seeing the hit my beach barely endured was shocking. Boardwalk gone out into the sea or down several blocks of streets. Flooding from Ocean Ave. to Main St.. a distance of roughly half a mile. It seemed as if anywhere from 3 to 6 feet of sand was sliced off the beach and deposited on the streeets. And this is the scene along the entire 120 miles of coastline. and, as I said, in some areas, it's a lot worse. At least in my town, the beachfront homes survived for the most part, especially the newer, multi-million dollar ones. Town just south lost their boardwalk last year in Irene. Guess that wasn't enough after the rebuild...it's gone again. Lost power Mon. night and only just got it back (maybe 3 hrs. after I finally found and purchased a generator wouldn't you know). 5 days and nights without heat, lights, any info other than a radio, and hot water can get tough, but there a lots and lots of people much worse off and still without power. Of course, the temps have been below average, downright cold even, and another possible tough storm is coming next week. It's tough when you grew up in the water like I did, learned to swim like a fish in it, learned to play in it, most importantly, learned to respect it above all else, then watch it come once in a lifetime to literally change the landscape. Will never ever leave though. I'm a "clam digger" from way back, and next Summer, my son and I will be right back there in the waves. And...some pics... Have posted pics of this house before. One of the queens made it. As for the washingtonias on the side of the house...well, I don;t know where they are... A christmas palm that somehoe made it through a few doors down from the home above. As you can see, they started cleaning up the streets. That pier was built in the late 30's and only a few feet at the tip was lost. It withstands every storm. Amazing. Picture doesn't do it justice. Cleanup had started, but there is now no boardwalk and untold amounts of sand are somewhere else.

awm Thank you so much for checking on me! I haven't been on much because we are in recovery mode...It was a rough night when Sandy hit. We are near where one of the breaches occurred on Fire Island so we got slammed with waves and water. The good news is we survived! We got power back last Monday (had to have house rewired due to corrosion from the saltwater that flooded our basement-we even had fish and baby shrimp down there), heat last Friday because we had to put in all new vents and blowers. This morning I got a new refrigerator! I almost cried when it came because we've been living out of a cooler on the back deck since Sandy. The good news is we have a roof over our heads and heat and electric which so many others don't have. I am very greatful. The bad news is we have about $100,000 worth of damage so it will be awhile before we are back to pre-storm living. I am very sad for my neighbors-of the 12 or so houses on our street, only 4 of us are able to stay in our homes right now. We do the best we can to help each other out-even if it is just a hot cup of coffee or a hot shower for our friends who are cleaning out their houses of most of their belongings, or for the workmen who are gutting the houses to begin rebuilding. It was a very scary night-we didn't evacuate-won't do that again.

As you all know, a lot of the upper midwest is f-l-a-t. (My DM, a native of Rhode Island, claimed that she used to drive up and over RR crossings, just for the variety.) I grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois. The "Park" part is common in many place names. The "Ridge" celebrates the infinitesimal bit of altitude above sea level that exists in the center of town. This name replaced the much less 'cultured' name of Bricktown. (An abundance of clay soil led to the founding of brick works.) Our little town and the one next to it had its own telephone company for ages. I remember an early phone directory that extolled the virtues of Park Ridge, inviting Chicagoalns to move there, "Out of the Smoke Zone -- Into the Ozone". (Well, what did they know?)