After four days without power, my family returned to the 21st century Wednesday night, but that wasn't the worst experience of the storm.
As I snuggled up on the couch Saturday to weather Irene with my family, I had no idea what was in store. I suspected a lot of hype and substantial rain, but nothing to write home about.
Around 10:30 Saturday night, power went out in our neighborhood. A short time later, I went to bed, only to be startled awake at 1 a.m. by my mother who told me I had to come downstairs.
I recall saying "are you serious," but still have no idea what she said in explanation. I was out of it, and half asleep acquiesced to her request.
As I stumbled into the basement I stopped in shock at the sight before me. Still half asleep, I was slowly able to interpret what was happening.
Our basement was flooding.
I ran upstairs for towels while my brother and father bailed water from the sump pump and my mother sopped up water with a few towels that were already in the basement.
After about 45 minutes, the seeping water was under control, sort of.
My dad and brother stayed up all night, scooping water out of the hole where the pump sits, into buckets and then dumping those buckets down the washroom sink. They were able to keep up with the water to prevent significant damage to the basement and its contents.
My mother and I grabbed a few hours of sleep then took over around 7 a.m. Sunday.
We worked smarter, not harder, and called my uncle for help. He brought over a generator and we hooked up our pump, refrigerator and freezer as well as a neighbor's pump — she had about two inches of water in her basement.
That morning I heard a crack, and about 20 minutes later noticed a portion of our tree had snapped and crashed to the ground. It was just one more thing.
Miraculously, the neighbors behind us regained power and offered to hook up our essential functions to their precious electricity.
One challenge handled.
Several neighbors helped my dad cut the tree to manageable pieces, but still we sat without power.
My brother's friends joined us in our power outage and without power complained of boredom.
Out came a bag of puzzles and brain teasers that my mom takes to family gatherings. There sat three boys in their teens and early 20s fumbling with puzzles and trash talking about their successes with blocks, string and shapes.
The candle lit sight lessened my need for occupation. I had entertainment right on my living room floor.
As the days wore on, the charm of no power started to wear off. Cold showers are not fun. Writing about those who regained power was a little bittersweet. Good for you! Still in the dark for me.
Wednesday evening we were teased again. The refrigerator again went dark. We learned our neighbors were without power once again.
Fearing the worst, another challenge, we were pleasantly surprised when the lights flashed on. What is this foreign thing?
At last, almost exactly four days after we lost it, electricity had returned. The magic picture box again entertained four lonely souls, and I learned a deeper appreciation for hot showers.
I know there were still some without power Thursday. I sympathize. It's frustrating to not be able to go through your normal routine.
I think this run on generators will continue for the next month as people recognize how hard it is to go without.