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A Lightning Strike and a Hurricane

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Update

Lightning Strikes

September has been quite the month, so eventful that I had to postpone my return to blogging. Originally I had planned to return to blogging the second week of September. But Mother Nature intervened last Friday with a lightning strike on our road’s power line. The strike caused a huge surge, which in turn fried part of our breaker box down cellar. We still have electricity but only if we use it sparingly—no  dishwasher, oven, dryer, washing machine, or vacuum cleaner. Period. But, we have lights, computers, water, our stove top, refrigerator, and freezer. To borrow from my Yankee husband, things could be worse.

An electrician came in, assessed the damage, and presented us with a $3,500 estimate, which includes a whole-house surge protector. Gulp! Fortunately, our home owners insurance will cover much of the cost.

So onward ho with that.

And presenting…Hurricane Lee

We had more or less settled down from the lightning incident only to be faced with Hurricane Lee blasting up the East Coast, with the prediction for Maine and the Canadian Maritimes to get the brunt of the storm. Visions of power outages and no water danced before my eyes. Being completely without electricity is no small thing in a household that now includes five adults, two dogs, and one cat. However, the latest forecast indicates that Lee is turning west, and while coastal Maine will get hit with high winds, it shouldn’t be too bad for inland Maine, where we live.

Still, we are prepared with bread, peanut butter, and plenty of water stashed away in buckets in our cellar.

But, it wasn’t all doom and gloom

Last Friday, the evening of the lightning strike, Clif, our daughter Shannon, our son-in-law Mike, and I went to Van der Brews—a local brewery—for trivia night hosted by the fabulous Nick Perry of Androscoggin Trivia Company.

And readers, we won! With only four on our team, we were definitely the underdogs, surprising everyone with our victory, including ourselves.

But even though we are small team, we are mighty, with a good spread of knowledge among the four of us.

Here is a picture of us as we celebrated our victory. In the middle of our table are the winnings—a Van der Brew glass, a car blanket, and a sticker.

Be back soon, I hope

I probably won’t return to blogging until the breaker box is fixed. With Dee and Shannon both working from home, we are being very careful about electricity usage.

So until then…

Addendum: On Thursday, September 14 at around 4:00, “Governor Mills today declared a State of Emergency and requested that President Biden issue a preemptive Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration for Maine.” (Taken from Maine.gov)

We shall see!

 

60 thoughts on “A Lightning Strike and a Hurricane”

  2. So sorry to hear about the lightning strike Laurie and so glad to learn you were out when it happened and no one got hurt. Congratulations with your trivia win and we hope the surge protection and electricity will be sorted out soon 💖🙏

  3. Oh dear, Laurie, the ongoing challenges from your lightning strike make for really hard going for all of you. Yikes! I hope it gets fixed well and proper very soon. Yes, it looks like we’re going to take the brunt of Lee in the Maritimes (to the east) and leave you Mainers to recover from previous weather events! Wish us luck!!

  4. Well, it was good to hear from you and see the happy trivia family, but I’m very sorry about the lightening, box, and the current storm heading our way. We had our outside box ripped off the house twice, and it was costly as well. I hope he gets you all fixed up, insurance pays, and you’ll be at the ready for future storms. Fingers crossed.

  6. Well done for being so knowledgeable. The car blanket might come in handy if the storm comes your way. I hope that you escape the worst of the weather.

  7. Maybe you were surprised with our ability to win at trivia, but Michael and I never doubted that we were going to win! 😝

  9. I’ve been thinking of you ever since reading where that hurricane is heading!! Also am looking forward to retirement soon, when I can be a regular blog reader. I have some catching up to do about your expanded at-home family. Very best wishes that your place escapes damage and, better yet, escapes power outages, too.

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  10. Yay team! There’s a lot to be said for a spread of knowledge and a team who knows each other well.
    Mother Nature is a tough task master; hoping she goes easy on you.

    1. We are a good team! We are thinking of going to other trivia nights in the area. And, you’re right. Mother Nature is indeed a tough task master.

      On another subject, on your recent post, I tried wishing your daughter, a fellow Virgo, a happy birthday. For some reason, I wasn’t able to do it on my phone. Will try again.

  13. My first reaction: I can live without the vacuum cleaner. Jokes aside, it’s good you had electricity for the essentials. Congrats on the trivia win…something you’ll all remember with a certain pride. And hope Lee doesn’t do too much damage. At least, it seems to diminish in intensity with time (and cooler waters, I suppose).

  14. It’s not every day that you can use the words “lightening” and “hurricane” in the title of one blog post. Good grief, Charlie Brown! I’m glad to hear that you don’t have to foot the entire bill for the electrical work. It sounds like a major job. I’m glad you had fun at the trivia night and congratulations on the win. That sounds like great fun. I’m relieved to hear that Lee is heading out to sea. You need a nice string of boring days in your future.

  15. It is so good to hear from you again – sorry it is to report such weather-related hazards. Yet, you have rounded it off with good news about your winning family. Well done!

  17. I’m so sorry to read about the lightning strike and perhaps a Hurricane on the way! Thanks goodness for the insurance, and I hope the Hurricane by-passes your cosy home.
    Wonderful to win the prize on the trivia night, and congratulations to the whole family.

    1. Many thanks! A double punch. As of today—September 15—it looks as though the hurricane will sideswipe us, bringing us rain and wind, but not enough to knock out the power.

  20. I’ve been thinking about you, Laurie, and praying that Hurricane Lee turns out to the ocean before doing damage to our eastern coastal communities. So sorry to hear about the electrical issues — those things can be so expensive! At least you’re not there by yourself, right? And congrats on your trivia win — that must’ve been fun!!

  21. Oh, boy, Mother Nature is being a bit of a challenge for you! I am glad insurance will pay for the box, what a relief.
    We have been anxiously tracking Lee as well, so relieved it won’t make a direct hit. Our winds should be around 20 and looks like yours will be around 40 mph. Let’s hope the trees and their limbs stay put! Take care!

  22. Mother Nature has become a bit testy lately! I am glad to hear the insurance company will pay for the majority of the bill. I heard about the hurricane on the news yesterday and thought of you. I am glad the family is all together and can look after one another. Stay safe!

    Congratulations on the win!

    1. Thanks, Lavinia! Yes, very good to have family around. This afternoon, Clif and Mike are going to put away some of the patio furniture. Fingers crossed we don’t lose our power.

  23. IfMother Nature’s middle name seems to “Drama” these days, huh? Glad all of you peeps are safe and sound, that’s the most important thing! And yay for your trivia win, well done.
    PS – email me your address if you’d like me to send you the blue balloon flower seeds. They’re all collected and packaged, ready to mail for fall sowing 😊

    1. Drama is right! I have emailed you my address, but it must have gotten lost in cyber space. I will try again tomorrow, given we have power. Thanks so much for thinking of me!

  24. Oh, my. Lightning strikes are so random, and can do so much damage. Around here, it’s not uncommon for boat masts to be struck, frying all of those expensive electronics on board. At least you’re still partially powered, even if you have to use your power carefully, and it’s especially good that insurance will take care of much of the bill. Apparently you used your mental powers well at the trivia game –congrats on your win!

  25. I think you are managing just fine! We are watching the Weather Channel and keeping our eyes on Maine. Thinking of you today. We are in FL so we have eaten several peanut butter sandwiches and have gone as long as 10 days without power during one of the hurricanes!! Be well.

  26. SO sorry to hear about the lightening strike, Laurie. I’m so glad you still have access to limited power. I’ve never heard of that. But with a house full, that’s a big challenge. So sorry about the big bill – and the effort it probably took to get insurance to cover some of it.

    And now a hurricane! At least you have FULL TRIVIA DOMINATION to hold on to. xo

  27. Many many years ago I had a similar experience to your lightning strike. The bang as the fuse box disintegrated and the telephone jumped off the wall were the worst bit. I am so glad you had some power and that the insurance covers most of the bill.

      1. Yes. Every year I look at the renewal letter and wonder if I should pay it. Then I read about something like happened to you and stump up the money 🙂

  28. OMG, I dread the average thunderstorm/power outage that occasionally fries an electronic item, but that big of a lightning strike and hurricane are TOO MUCH!! I’m glad you guys are safe and no fires occurred with the strike, but that’s a lot to deal with during your break with family. Wonderful to see you had a great celebration and win before the storm and hope things are fixed quickly.🙂

  29. O my Goodness! I am soo sorry about the lightening strike and the damage. I thought of you during the Lee Hurricane. We have hurricanes here-but has there ever been one in your area? We went without any power for two weeks. I hung a water hose in the rose garden for showers! Well I so hope all is well soon. Oh my congratulations on Trivia! I am impressed. love Michele

    1. Thanks, Michele! There have been hurricanes in our area, but they are rare. We, too, have gone without power for about two weeks, but in our case it was an ice storm in January.

  30. Ouch, I feel for you! Interesting, though, how “luxuries” have become necessities. I remember my mum telling me that, many decades ago, she was the first person in her street to get a refrigerator, and that the neighbours loudly condemned her for wasteful extravagance…and yet today, managing without one for any length of time seems impossibly difficult.

    Hopefully your box is fixed now, and life has returned to normal!

  31. Gosh – thank goodness for insurance! I had never heard of rationing electricity to keep things going, although I do remember my record player grinding to a halt and candles on dark evenings when we had power shortages in the 1970s.

  32. I was thinking of you as that hurricane rushed up the east coast. On the news, it looked ferocious. I’m sorry about the power situation and hope it gets resolved soon. Could be worse, right? Hugs.

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