Thankfulness

We had a major thunderstorm last night and lost power just as we were getting ready for bed.  I am so very thankful that it came on again about 7 this morning.  We have a generator (which I am thankful for too) and Andy started it for me before he left but I don't like being the one who is responsible for the thing so I was glad that he could turn it off and set things up for commercial power, as he calls it, before he left too.  It just happened to be the one day a month that Andy goes in late to back up certain pieces of equipment at work.

I am also thankful that we had a certain tree in our yard taken down on Tuesday because we were concerned about the way it increasingly leaned over the garage.  Actually, the tree is not completely down but only the tall trunk remains.  It was so hot on Tuesday (100 degrees) and the men were being so careful not to let the branches fall on the garage that they ran out of time and are coming back to finish in a couple of weeks but I guess there was nothing to catch the wind last night.

Thirdly, I am thankful that the wasps who were apparently living in that tree and were swarming all around the back door once they discovered their home was gone have apparently left us in peace now.

Finally, I am thankful for the badly needed three inches of rain that fell last night!!  That is in addition to the 2.11 inches (according to Andy's rain gauge) that we got on Saturday.  The grass is still brown but some of the plants are looking a little happier now.

So what are you thanking God for today?  Please do share.

Power is Back!

Just had to share the good news with my bloggy friends! My thankful list now includes things like air conditioning and the freedom to use the washer and dish washer. Plus the miracle of the electric garage door opener! And its so quiet around here too! We're happy campers tonight!


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Thankful Thursday

Its Thursday morning and we are still without power since the big storm on Monday. Most people in Chicagoland have had theirs restored but we are among the approximately 100,000 whom the utility company says should be up and running "by the weekend."

Andy, Emily and I have been so very thankful this week for our generator! Andy bought it about five years ago when we lost power for three days and he had the foresight to have it wired into the electrical panel when we had to replace the service entrance and breaker box last year. Its not the huge kind of generator that makes it so you can forget its not the real thing. No, we can't run the air conditioning or the washer or dish washer or the oven. We can only use one heat producing appliance at a time, one burner on the electric stove or the coffee maker for those that imbibe, for example, but we can have a few lights or fans and the router for internet. But most importantly, we can keep food in the freezer and refrigerator and we can have the hot water heater on too! Sometimes it feels downright decadent to have this blessing from God but we do praise Him and thank Him for it!

We are also so very grateful for God's protection in the storm. And isn't that what He does for us every day in so many ways, ways we might not even be aware of at the time? We do have an awesome God!

For He will hide me in His shelter
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me under the cover of His tent;
He will lift me high upon a rock.~Ps. 27:5

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Summer Storm

It's been quite the eventful day at the cottage. Violent thunderstorms blew through Chicagoland this morning knocking out power to over 600,000 people and we were among them. Many, many trees were downed and our big, beautiful spruce was sprawled across the driveway early in the storm.




The storm came out of the north and apparently put some twisting force on our poor tree.




Not only was our driveway blocked but the entire street was impassable on this end because of our tree.




Also on the other end because of a neighbor's tree!




We were fortunate, however, in that the spruce was actually on the city right of way so they removed it. And not only that but, because it did block the road, it was removed by noon!




We're also very thankful for God's protection in that no one was hurt and nothing was even damaged. Even our recycling container emerged unscathed, much to our amazement!




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