Bragging on the Bileks

Check out the article on Chris' Mom, Jan Bilek, featured in the September 2008 issue of Midwest Home Magazine!

1 week, 4 hours.

So it wasn't Friday when the power came back on. Or Saturday. Or even Sunday afternoon. It was 9:15pm on Sunday, and the lead-up to it was quite entertaining. As it turns out, not only was there a tree on the wires, a line was down two houses over that had to be fixed. But that couldn't be completed until the tree was off the lines.

Around 2pm on Sunday I awoke from my nap (what else to do?) to find workers standing in my yard, eating granola bars, and looking up at the power lines. I went outside to see if there was anything I could do and possibly get some information. They said they might need to move some small yard-type equipment into the backyard. I told them to do whatever they needed, including killing all my trees and plants. On their way out of the yard, they eyed the neighbor's three small trees/bushes on the property line. They joked that if they pulled those out, they could get the big truck back there.

Turns out that wasn't a joke. We went to mom's house to do some laundry and eat dinner, and when we returned there was a bucket truck from a tree service in our yard. They pulled the neighbor's trees out, even though she wasn't home and they didn't have her permission (she didn't care). Once the tree was taken out, that bucket truck left and the power bucket truck came in. About 45 minutes later we were watching TV and loading the dishwasher.

I'll update the post with pictures later today!

Light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm cautiously optimistic this morning. As I left my house around 8:20, two AEP trucks were heading down my street. Chris confirmed that there are people milling around our backyard near where the tree is on the lines. One of our neighbors tried to get the AEP employee to say when it would be fixed, but he wisely wouldn't commit to anything. In any case, I'm just really glad there's some sign of something being done to get the power back on.

We bought a couple new board games last night. Monopoly and Phase 10 were starting to get old. Simpsons Sorry! was quite a good time, actually. Now just cross your fingers I don't have to play it again tonight!

Nope.

I guess they weren't lying when they said Sunday. Our trash went this morning, so Chris and I broke down and threw out the remainder of the food that was in the refrigerator. I'm not really sure why we had a whole door full of condiments, but I'm also not looking forward to replacing them. At least we've been able to save our meat, cheese, milk, etc. We've lucked out on the ice front, so we didn't have to throw out any really expensive stuff.

When I got home around 8:30 last night, the other side of the street had power. It went off about an hour later. All the streetlights on my way to work are now restored, and some of the school districts went back today. They say progress is being made, apparently just not in my neighborhood.

The answer is no. You guess the question.

Finally! AEP has released estimated power restoration dates by neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the news for us isn't so good.


We're in that patch of red which means 90% of that area will be restored by Sunday. It could actually be later. I have to say the novelty has definitely worn off, and Chris and I are both getting pretty stressed out by the whole situation. We're doing our best to go with the flow, but it's getting harder now that we've gone 3 nights without power and are looking at another 4 nights before there's any hope of light.

We did see 2 power trucks in our neighborhood last night, which was an encouraging sign. At the same time, I haven't seen any improvement at all in the number of traffic lights that are out. It's really sporadic, and I think people are starting to get less patient with treating them like 4-way stops. Area schools are still closed. Columbus City Schools says over 1/3 of its school buildings are still without power. They have additional concerns because their transportation communication systems (radios, GPS, etc.) are still out, and the traffic light situation makes it more dangerous for kids walking to school.

About 30 area grocery stores are still closed or selling only non-perishable items, and I have yet to see ice available anywhere. Thank goodness we have resources to get some elsewhere. My latest gripe, well, more jealousy I guess, is that 2 of my neighbors have generators powering their homes. It's so frustrating to look out my window at 2 other houses with real lights and TVs going while we're trying to keep ourselves entertained by playing Monopoly by candlelight.

Alright, enough complaining for a Wednesday morning. Have a great day!

36 hours and counting.

Sunday afternoon started out as a pleasant day. We all went to the zoo and had a great time. Then, we observed the traditional Sunday Bilek Family Nap time and woke up to 80 mph winds. According to AEP Ohio, our power went out around 5:12 pm Sunday while we were at the grocery store stocking up on food, including a bunch of perishable stuff. My guess is that it went out when the neighbor's 3-story tree fell on the power lines behind our house. I'd post a picture, but my laptop doesn't have a memory card slot and I don't have power. The tree's still sitting there. AEP Ohio estimates that 90% of Columbus area customers will have power restored by midnight Sunday.

The good news:
--we have a gas range, so we can still cook.
--we have a gas water heater, so we can still take hot showers.
--we have a roof.
--it's not 20 degrees.
--it's not 100 degrees.

I'll keep you posted.