Good Bye Irene

Hello again !! Finally, after 3 days without electricity, the lights are back on, the phones work again, and we're back on-line.

Normalcy is finally returning to Long Island. There are still areas that are under water and many people still don't have any power, but we really lucked out with Irene. When the storm hit very early Sunday morning, it sounded like a tornado was going down the road. It took me a moment to remember where I was and that it was a hurricane. But the storm was not nearly as bad as the forecast said it would be and for that we are very grateful.

We had some damage to the stockade fence around the yard - the wind blew three sections off the posts - and I volunteered to go out and tie them back to the posts to keep them from tearing completely away and going air-borne. All we had to tie it with was crochet thread (the kind used for doilies and tablecloths) and it held up quite well. The winds never really got much over 60 MPH where we are, so it really wasn't too hard to get the job done. Of course, when I came in I was soaked to the skin, despite having on a hooded slicker. But, it was just part of the adventure.

We spent Monday and Tuesday cleaning up debris from the yard and hauling it out to the curb for pick-up. That included many downed branches of all sizes, and even an intact birds nest that was blown out of a tree. Hopefully, the babies had already fledged and were not hurt. The next-door neighbor lost half of a 75 foot oak tree that came down on Sunday morning. There is something about the sound of splintering wood and a large crash that makes you hold your breath and say a prayer. Luckily, the tree didn't hit anything and now awaits removal in the neighbor's back yard.

I feel bad for New Jersey and Vermont, who seem to have really taken a hard hit from the storm.  They continue to have problems with flooding, washed-out roads, power outages and downed trees. The flooding on Long Island has abated, but many homes still need to have the water pumped out of the basements. And, of course, many beach homes simply washed away. All the state parks and ocean beaches remain closed. Long Beach is said to have lost 100 feet of beach front, and Fire Island has been described as having lost 45 feet of height. Apparently all the sand dunes were washed away leaving no protection from the storm surge. State officials have said that they expect to have all the beaches open for Labor Day Weekend.

Unfortunately, several people were killed on Long Island during the storm including a 68 year old man who went wind surfing during the storm and drowned. His friends have stated that he died doing what he loved to do, but they were shocked by his death.

All in all, we are very grateful that the storm weakened before it got here, and I have to admit, we did have fun. The fun came from remembering other hurricanes from our childhood days which include Hurricane Carol and Hurricane Donna, both of which I believe hit during the '60's. And, of course, my friends went through Hurricane Gloria in 1985, which they say was the worst one they remember. Part of the laugh feast we enjoyed was stumbling around the house at night with candles and flashlights, trying not to step on the two black cats who live here. We talked a lot about what it must have been like for our grandparents before electricity, radios, TV's and computers. And, we both felt a bit sorry for parents having to deal with bored children suffering through without the TV, video games or computers. Makes one wonder how we ever made it through childhood without all that electronic entertainment. Hmm, going outside to play rings a bell...

So, from my friend Josephine and I, good night. Hope the weather in Greendale has been more serene than it has been here and happy Labor Day everyone!!!

***Linda Motley of Greendale has been visiting friends on Long Island, NY since July. She will try to blog about her personal account with Hurricane Irene in NY — so as long as she has power.