The Bear Cave

We've been having some wild weather around here lately, but last night certainly took it took a whole new level. Jeff and I began to worry a little when we received an email from our city asking residents to prepare for "prolonged power outages and structural damage" due to a forecast for high winds. (The news channel actually specifically named our neighborhood as one that would be hardest hit and said there could be hurricane level winds.) We endured a 5 day power outage 2 winters ago, and were not looking forward to doing it again! On top of that, the temperatures outside were below freezing, so losing heat would not be fun. Sure enough, yesterday in the early evening, the winds picked up. There wasn't actually any snow falling, but the air was filled with twirling snow being blown by the wind. Before long the whole house was literally rocking. Jeff and I both agree that we have never experienced winds so powerful. BUT-we were prepared!! When power went out a little before 10 pm, we set up "the bear cave" as Jeff named it. Jeff hung an old sheet from the ceiling to block of the section of the house with the fireplace. We set up Charlie's pack 'n play and got out sleeping bags and quilts. I slept downstairs and "babysat" the fire while Jeff went to sleep in our bed to listen for the kids. About 2 in the morning, Grace came wondering down and spent the rest of the night on the couch with me. Jeff and Charlie came down a couple hours later and finished the night sleeping by the fire. By the morning, the power was back on! HOORAY!!

Here's the Bear Cave in the morning

I ventured out into the cold this morning to see what the snow had done. There were huge snow drifts all over.

It's hard to tell in these pictures, but outside the front door it looks like a snow bowl. The edges go up about a foot and a half, but there is no snow at all in the middle.

This snow drift goes the complete distance of the front of our house. Again, it's hard to tell in the picture, but the drift goes at least a third of the way up the garage door. Too bad our cars are inside the garage! I guess Jeff has some shoveling to do before we go anywhere!

This is what the drift looks like from inside the garage. There is this strange hole in the middle of it. Grace immediately called it a bear cave and asked to go play in it.

I was so thankful to have power this morning, that I used all that good ol' electircity to make some snowflake shaped pancakes. (Okay, I could have still made pancakes on our gas range if the power was out, but I probably wouldn't have been in the mood!) Grace had hers with jam, can you tell?!?