*muuah!*
[2005-01-24 - 12:35 a.m.]

Driving home Saturday night was tricky. I had to crook my neck in an unnatural downward slant to see thru the teensy bands of clear windshield. My wipers were frozen with clumps of ice almost from the very start. 45 minutes later I was grateful to be safely home.

A person who loves to drive shouldn't be scared by a little blizzard. Fear didn't motivate me to leave the 3rd shift nurse to do the job of two people because her co-worker called out sick. Fear didn't inspire me to drive, alone thru 2+foot snow piles when I ALREADY had a change of uniform and personal items sitting right in the break room.

I think I just wanted to be home with my children. There are lots of trees around the power lines next to my bedroom and I had a feeling one of them would come down in the high winds. One big tree did at 4 a.m. and literally minutes later there was an orange plow, as well as many other utility type trucks and PEOPLE standing around fixing it.

They came out.......left their homes... in a blizzard at 4 a.m. to put someone else's power back on. Now before you say 'that's their job' I just want to point out that no amount of money could have made those friggid winds feel pleasant.

Saying "Thank you so very much" seems inadequate to me. When I woke at 9 a.m. and they appeared to be all looking right into my bedroom window (the one night I didn't pull the blinds) I was grateful to see the power was on and the room was warming up again. For a second I wanted to open the window and blow them a big kiss, but the sight of a tired woman wearing a sweat shirt, bed-head, and traces of mascara on her cheekbones didn't seem fair after what they'd been thru.