Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....
That's the song we're usually singing here in Iowa in the middle of December. Of course, on this December 15th, we spent it outside in the sun under 74 degree temps and then down in our basement, riding out high winds and a tornado watch. Not our usual December weather in the least.
We didn't let this get us down though. We ordered pizza, brought snacks, treats, and spent some time in our basement playing card games. The dog was seriously confused about why we made the basement our hangout area, but he went with it (mostly because pizza was involved). The minis were able to play computer games, I took some time to write, Christmas music played over Alexa, and the sirens outside were dulled by our indoor shenanigas. All was great until the storm was over.
That's the time we had powerful wind gusts, power suddenly went out, and power lines fell, sparking and then catching fire. I'm not exaggerating when I say I stood at my bedroom window and watched things burn around me. It was terrifying. We threw on masks and checked on our neighbors, letting them know our house was open if needed. To be honest, every time there's severe weather in our area, I feel a slight panic ever since the derecho. I was thankful we didn't have to deal with property damage this time around, but it was very scary nonetheless.
Luckily, instead of five days without power, we only had to endure six hours and one day of uncertainty the day after thanks to a tree that was resting on a powerline. The dog was in heaven after we lost power because he had plenty of sticks to choose from. Because it was pitch black, we couldn't see when he carried an entire limb into the house and chewed it to pieces. That mess had to be cleaned up the next day.