We're up at the lake for the weekend. We rushed out the door at rush hour and raced to beat the storm.... we got here 15 minutes before it started to huff and puff and blew the electricity out. It was 23 hours and 55 minutes later that we got the power back on. So, yay Alabama Power! And I mean that, because they had to get an entire crew and go up in the woods and there was a bulldozer involved. We were all ready to hear "yeah, sometime next week we'll think about maybe doing all that".

Of course, we had people to entertain. The kiddos played Cariboo, which is a Cranium game. HIGHLY recommend. The three year old liked it, the six year old liked it, and the 10 year old was only mildly a brat with the two younger ones not wanting to follow all the rules.

Fortunately, the rain kept it cool, so no air conditioner was tolerable. Then today when it finally stopped raining and got nice, we were outside and in the water. H swam from 2 p.m. until we dragged him out of the water at 6:35. He fell asleep while I was reading him his bedtime story. Up late last night, no nap... exhausted little boy. The television was never even turned on. I love that.

This morning, my mom and I "brewed" coffee by using a Melita cone on top of a thermos, with water we were heating on the grill. Bottled water for coffee is such a waste, but no electricity means no pump means no well water.* And coffee is a good thing for all involved. We made enough for all the neighbors, so that was nice. We were supposed to be having a party today so we had coolers of ice, and we managed to keep the food cool in the refrigerators. Not as many people came to the party as we expected, but there were still brave souls. Everything was cooked on the grill, we survived.

(*it also means that to flush a toilet you had to haul a bucket of water from the lake and fill that tank. Up about 40 steps. Water is heavy. )

I hear that it was pretty bad back in the 'ham. Trees down in my neighborhood, but none on my house or the other car. The yard is pretty full with limbs and other storm-stuff, but nothing too bad. We'll see if the tomato farm survived.

Now my mom is going around cleaning up and doing all her things that she has to do. She makes me insane, but what relaxes her is a totally clean and picked up cabin, and what relaxes me is not wiping up condensation rings every time someone picks up a glass. She has asked me the same question over and over again, and if she offers me a cup of soup or a half of her sandwich again, I'm going to revert to my 14-year-old self and scream and go in my room and slam the door.

We enjoy each other's company, really we do, but we do things differently and sometimes I have to go find a computer to hide with. Glad the power is back on, and the internet working, so I can.