I am no longer powerless as of 4 p.m. yesterday. Lights came on just as I drove into the driveway from work. Since there's such extensive damage to trees, poles, wires, transformers, etc., I won't be surprised if there are sporadic service interuptions in the coming weeks. I hope to be back online from my home P/C later today. My closest neighbor ran a heavy-duty power cord from his house to mine but I couldn't really use it without leaving the door part-way open. The refrigerator has been warm for ten full days so there's nothing salvageable in it at this point. We don't have city water--the artesian wells here in CT provide lots of excellent fresh, clean water when there's electricity to run the pumps. No power = no water other than what you run ahead of the outage or what falls from the sky. Thanks to WS, one thing I have lots of are clean gallon milk jugs. A friend who didn't lose power saves them for me and sent me home one day with 4 gallons of water from her house to use for washing. I went to Outward Bound...twice...in Maine years ago and learned a lot of wilderness tricks that come in handy in these types of situations. First course was wilderness bushwhacking (hiking, climbing, rapelling); second course was sailing. A key lesson is not listening to your Little F*ck-it Voice when your back's against the wall. Morz8 - didn't need the space heater since the woodstove down cellar is so efficient, my upstairs was 69 degrees the whole time. Being warm was half the battle--it was folks that weren't who suffered a whole lot worse than I did. Somers, CT doesn't allow homes to be built on less than an acre of land and many homes are built on larger properties. Carlo's house next door is 200+ ft. south of mine. I do come from tough stock--Dad's family arrived in Massachusetts in 1621 aboard the sailing ship 'Fortune.' Mom's family came in 1631 when there weren't even any roads. Thanks for the generous offer Nancy. I'd be lying if I said the idea would make me wish the power was still off! tomva - thanks so much for the good wishes--they're much appreciated. Wendy - your prayers were answered!! Thank you so much! Not too many folks heat with wood around here--they mostly rely on noisy generators to KTLO (keep the lights on) & power the water pump. With extreme weather conditions becoming more frequent, I'm guessing the wood-burning stove business is going to be on the upswing. Couldn't sleep last night so I got started cleaning & doing laundry around 1 a.m. I'm just one person and I've got six loads of laundry piled up + bedding. Imagine what a family of four is facing! Oh, and Carlo's cousin he's staying with, her washing machine cr@pped out just as the power came back on so they can't even wash their mountains of laundry! I heated up a can of vegetable soup last night and rolled a biscuit to have with it--first hot meal in almost 2 weeks other than McDonald's & shelter food. I went back & ate a second bowl of soup it tasted so good. Tomorrow I'll empty the 'fridge & freezer & use Carlo's dumpster to get rid of all the spoiled food. This experience has taught me a lesson about keeping things in the freezer too long & buying multiples just because they're on sale. I should have Internet access later this afternoon and if there's time, I'll download photos from the camera to share. I'm also staring down the barrel of trying to make up work hours I missed.

Yesterday I made a somewhat Japanese style cole slaw, just using my imagination, and then today I wrote the recipe down. Then I just found this thread which contains recipes that are extremely similar to what I made, especially Becky's. Here's my recipe: Vegetables: 1/2 Head red or purple cabbage (can substitute Napa cabbage); 2 cups when sliced 1/2 carrot, grated 1/2 red (or white) onion 1/2 bell pepper (red, green, or yellow) Dressing: 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 2 Tbsp Ponzu sauce* (or soy sauce or seasoned soy sauce) 1-1/2 Tbsp Black rice vinegar (or white vinegar, preferably rice) 3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 1/4 tsp Sriracha sauce ( or other hot sauce), to taste 3 Tbsp mayonnaise Slice the cabbage into julienne strips, about 1/16”-1/8” thick Thinly slice the onion from root to top in 1/8” strips Cut the bell pepper into julienne strips, no more than 3/4” long x 1/8” thick All of this can be done on a mandolin or in a food processor with the slicer attachment, especially if making a larger batch. Toss all of the vegetables together and place in a bowl with tight fitting lid. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing (except mayonnaise) in a small bowl and then whisk in mayonnaise. Use a stick blender for larger batches. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss until combined. Cover with lid and refrigerate for at least an hour (or overnight) before serving. Can serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds or Furikake. *Note: If not using Ponzu sauce, you can add Yuzu or lime juice for the citrus flavor. If you do not have sesame oil, you can use 1 tablespoon tahini plus 2 tablespoons salad oil. ------------------------------------- I think next time I might use miso in place of Ponzu sauce, but then I would have to add Yuzu or lime juice. I have lots of Yuzu fruit in my freezer that I have not gotten around to using. I used Napa cabbage because that's what I had on hand, but I prefer to make it with purple cabbage, mainly for looks.

Yes, arjay! We enjoyed a very successful slaw tasting, lol, trying all the ingredients together in different combinations. The unanimous slaw winner was the recipe from Bon Appetit: 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds 3 green onions, thinly sliced 2 8-ounce packages coleslaw mix Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Mix in green onions. Add coleslaw mix; toss. The person who made this reduced the amount of sugar slightly. We thought the onions would be too strong but they were actually wonderful. And we ended up adding a small amount of a local Georgia vinegar based barbecue sauce to the pulled pork (because it needed some added moisture when sitting on top of a piece of cornbread) and added a tiny sweet gherkin pickle to the top! We christened this the Barbecue Parfait and I made twelve for our board meeting the next evening which were a huge hit with everyone. We have purchased red and white gingham tablecloths and I bought 120 cotton bandanas in navy blue to use as napkins, and we have four darling blue pitchers shaped like mason jars to take to the florist for daisies. I think it will be a great themed reception for the bluegrass band, the singers and their families, and our patrons! Btw, we are asking everyone who contributes food to this endeavor to use Martha White Cotton Country cornbread mix, as it is complete, EASY (just add water) and is not the least bit sweet. I am already thinking about our Celtic concert in mid May....it is the last of the season and DH and I are throwing a massive pub crawl theme party the next night for singers and spouses/SOs, our patrons and program advertisers. I am going to have to come up with two beer options, two wines, and a signature cocktail that uses Irish whiskey! And a LOT of heavy hors d'oeuvres that are good and at least faintly Irish. So please be thinking, as I will be calling on the GW peeps for help on that one, too!

The traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with minced lamb. (Shepherds deal with sheep, remember?!) If it's made with another meat, then it becomes Cottage Pie. I like to top it with strips of mashed potato and mashed kumera (orange sweet potato). You can put slices of tomato underneath the spud if you want. It's a dish that's wide open to interpretation, but it's always GOOD! Shepherd's Pie This is the traditional recipe, designed to use up leftover cooked lamb and vegetables. Minced lamb or beef may be substituted. Finely chop, or process, a large amount of lean lamb, and mix in grated carrot, onion, celery, parsnip, mushrooms or other vegetables as available. Add a large spoonful of tomato paste, herbs and spices to taste, and a tablespoon or two of apple juice if liked. Place into a large, lidded saucepan, bring to the boil, then cover with enough water or stock to make a thick sauce consistency, and simmer, covered, until the vegetables have softened. Boil some potatoes or red sweet potatoes, drain and mash with an egg or two (depending on the quantity) and a little milk. When the meat is cooked, transfer it to a casserole dish, cover it with mashed potato, and sprinkle over some grated cheese. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.