OH MY WORD, I APOLOGIZE

I apologize, I am so sorry. I eat humble pie. My blog about winter in California is not funny today. Winter wienies we should suck it up.

Just by a fluke I went on the Louisville Courier Journal web site this morning. This is the newspaper for my family and Marty's family in Kentucky. Look at the articles and videos for January 28 and 29. Many of the pictures are in my brother's neighborhood, Old Louisville. And there is a video about driving to Prospect where my folks live. The pictures are horrifying.

I knew it was snowing in Louisville and most of the East. Snow is usually no big deal. Until I went on the site I had no idea they had had an ice storm. In the last year they have had an earthquake, Hurricane Ike, and now this ice storm. The damage is awful. Trees down all over town, and the trees are on top of power lines, houses and cars. Power lines are down, streets are blocked by trees. This morning 700,000 houses and businesses were without power. Tonight around 200,000 are still out.

I immediately called my Mother. She and Papa Jack have one of the few homes in two states that has power. And my brother has power. Marty's cousin, and his aunt and uncle have no power, and won't for probably another week. People, it is in the teens! Cold, Cold, Cold! Mother said every tree on their 2 acres has been damaged. These are huge trees that are close to 50 years old. She told me my brother's home was OK.

I called Little Brother tonight and talked to his wife Ann. He is in Detroit on business ( the ride to the airport is worth a whole blog) We are hoping he will get home Friday night. She said they had limbs on the garage. Streets and the alley to their garage have been blocked all around them. Their basement is flooding because the ground is frozen and the water can't drain out. But they have power. She went to work ( head of nursing for Louisville/Jefferson County medical services, not her title but something like that) and has say 32 nurses, about 5 made it in, 25 doctors and 4 showed up. Not a day for the poor to get sick.

Marty's sister in Columbus, Ohio is dealing with the ice storm also. But it is not as awful as Louisville. That is not to say it is a good situation. But she has power. That is the most important thing, so she will have heat.

I gloated just a little about our easy California winter. I really did feel cold. But not like the folks back East. I remember this type of weather. And I am so glad I live in California. But I do apologize to family and friends for making light of winter problems.