The remnants of Hurricane Ike swept through Ohio and left us without power for two days. The streets are a mess, and according to the rumors in Shaker Heights, herds of electrical workers were down south helping the more torn up areas and so less resources were available in NE Ohio.
No power for 36 hours. While you could hear a collective Cleveland moan when televisions went out at 8:15pm on Sunday night because you couldn't watch the Browns/Steelers war, I was more concerned about all my produce and poultry in the fridge. (Aren't our concerns mighty?)
Living by flashlight is certainly not the way of the Amish, but it did encourage a simplistic kind of living for a little while and it was fun to just sit in the dark and talk without the distraction of the computer, music, television, or even the hum of the kitchen appliances in the background. It gave way to a gentle quiet that we actually liked.
Monday morning we had all kinds of work done on the house - chimney inspection, shower head fixed, toilet worked on (poor guy) and then our car revved up for impending travels to Russia, Cincinnati, New Jersey, and New York - all in the next 6 weekends. Throw in Nick's 5 day trip to El Salvador with St. Dominic and you have a very busy couple who are determined to live life as a one car family. An oil change, air filter, serpentine belt (that just sounds cool to say), and four new tires got the Corolla ready for Big Fun (aka Kelly and Tim's wedding) and More Big Fun (the rest of the weddings in October) in faraway places.
I write this post from the inside of a car shop as I wait for the Corolla to be fixed. All I can say is, it is quite the happy family here in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Center Heights Service may be the most friendly car shop I've ever been. That's not really hard to say coming from Boston where most mechanics stare at your chest if you're a woman and coerce you into dropping several hundos for fixes and twixes you definitely do not need. But the folks here are wonderful. Bill and Tom are actually brainstorming places for me to send my resume and introduced me to Ann, another customer who works at a agency looking for psychotherapists. You don't come across that kind of service very often. They smile and are more than friendly. Most importantly, they're honest, don't treat you like an idiot, and even offer me a lift home so I don't have to wait around for the car.
Yes, this is a body shop.
Viva La Shaker!
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