Goodbye, ice storm

I don't know about you, but I'm tired.

I barely knew that Valentine's Day and Presidents Day had arrived.

I'm still reeling from the ice storm aftermath.

I'm okay, but some of my friends are still in the dark, awaiting power in rural areas northwest of Piggott. After three weeks, they are still coping with the outage.

Those with all electric homes suffered the most, I think.

They will be rethinking their power sources in days to come.

Some will add gas inserts into their fireplaces. Others will add natural gas wall heaters for backup in case the electric power goes out again.

In my case, I had a five burner gas wall heater that kept me from freezing that first night. It wasn't adequate to heat the whole house, but it provided warmth as I huddled near it.

Luckily, I had a supply of lamp oil for my kerosene lamps. I learned a long time ago to keep lamp oil as a backup source.

I guess you'd say my lamps were inherited. One of them belonged to my mother, another belonged to my mother-in-law. Then there was another that I retreived from my father's home after he died.

In the middle of the power outage, merchants ran out of lamp oil and lamps. Candles were a big seller too. For a time store shelves were bare of C and D cell batteries too. They were in demand for flashlights and battery operated radios. After a search, I finally found batteries at Cox Lumber Co.

Gasoline was in demand too, for generators and for vehicles. In Paragould, I saw vehicles lined up for over a mile as they tried to buy gas. Many service stations had no gas to sell. Some stations required that customers pay with credit cards only.

Country Mart required that customers pay cash or by check. Registers weren't working and customers shopped in the dark.

During the dark nights, I used a flashlight while I worked crossword puzzles or read.

The storm was an opportune time to read the Ann Rule mystery book I bought during Christmas. It kept my mind occupied while I awaited the return to normalcy. Sometimes I turned on the radio just for company or to hear the local news about the efforts to restore power to our battered county.

After the Walmart store in Paragould reopened, I went in for a hot cup of coffee. In the back of the McDonald restaurant, there was a couple in a booth, playing cards. Maybe they were seeking sanctuary from the cold for a while. Many people with all elecric homes left to spend time with their relatives or friends who had other sources of heat, like wood stoves or propane gas.

Some with wood stoves were glad they had a sufficient wood supply to outlast the ice storm.

Generators were a blessing to those who could afford one, or who could locate one.

Truckloads of generators were sold from the backs of out-of-state trucks, but some of those generators were defective and wouldn't start.

After the ice melted, out of state tree trimmers flooded the area in search of quick business. I talked with one such licensed tree trimmer who came here with a work crew from Baton Rouge. He said when he left this area, he was on his way to Kentucky..

Locally, he had contracted numerous customers who needed trees trimmed and yard cleanup.

Days after the storm, chain saws were in big demand. They disappeared from store shelves almost overnight. No chain saw parts could be found anywhere and they are still scarce.

Those who had workable saws, kept them humming throughout the neighborhoods

Now it's time to regroup and recoup.

Almost all schools are in session and normal community activities are resuming.

We are like chickens out of the coop.

We are ready to kick up our heels and dance.

Goodbye, ice storm.