At long last...
09/25/2008 01:56 p.m.
We had our power restored last night!!! What a huge relief has been lifted from my shoulders.

I washed three loads of laundry last night (I have about 12 more to go... the boys stripped all the beds in addition to the accumulation of dirty clothes over the past two weeks), and fell exhausted into bed about 10:50, and slept the sleep of the bone weary until about 4 am.

It was WONDERFUL to be able to take a warm shower in my own bathroom! I've taken so many cold ones the past twelve days that I couldn't tolerate my customary scalding temperatures (I used to take really hot and steamy showers to soothe my muscles and open my nasal passages).

Moirghan got her warm bath last night too. She wasn't quite as pleased as usual, probably because by the time we were able to give her a bath she'd already been in a good sleep. My husband fed her a small bottle and stayed up with her until she fell asleep again.

It's now time to work on getting our lives back to our "normal" patterns. I feel a bit shamed that I was becoming so displeased with my lot; one of the teachers I work with lost their home when a tree fell across it, two more have dealth with not only the storm and loss of power, but unexpected deaths in their families out of state (a 2 1/2 ur old grand child and a grandmother).

There are still many people who don't have power and they don't know when the are going to get it. My father and one of my co-workers live in areas that say the power has been restored to, and they are still in the dark!

One thing for sure, this entire situation is bringing attention to the inadequacies of 1) our main power supplier in Houston, CenterPoint, other companies are either completely restored, or very close to it, but not CP and 2) FEMA remains the sorriest excuse for a joke when it comes to assuring the needs of people are being met as they always were. It's like putting a bandaid on a severed limb! ARGH!!!

Well enough of that, I'm so glad to have power again, and thank you all for your prayers and well wishes! Now I will take measures to make sure I am prepared to be without power for EXTENSIVE periods of time before hurricane season 2009!
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