Stay Home

I was standing at the front door looking out at the storm when I felt something. I think the power went out and came right back on. I tried to text Russ at his office only to discover that the internet was out. I checked the TV and the cable was gone too.

The trees were whipping hither and yon and Shay was crying up on our bed, which serves as her home base. I went to my room to console her. She never likes my explanation that her home base is not the safest room in our house. She insists on hunkering down there no matter the storm.

I called Russ on our trusty land line, which I keep for exactly these scenarios. My cell phone does not work well in our house without the boost from the Wi-Fi. No internet – no Wi-Fi, no texting, emailing or calling. If I walk out to the front of the house I can get two weak little bars and something can go through.

Russ told me he was glad I was not teaching because there was a 32 car pile up at our exit of I-40. I told him to be careful combing home. Turned out that most of Durham has lost its power and apparently no one remembers the rules of the road concerning traffic lights that are not working. Russ pulled up to the light at Marin Luther King and Old Chapel Hill road and he said the cars were flying through the intersection as if MLK had suddenly tuned into the Martinsville Speedway. So much for stopping and treating the intersection like a four way stop.

About then my cousin texted that her daughter was in the hospital in Greensboro and she wanted info on Duke doctors. I told her to stay in Greensboro. Turned out that was a good call because I got a phone call from the Durham emergency response center advising everyone to stay home that the police can not respond to all the wrecks from the lights being out.

I thought the automated call should also have told people what the rule of the road is for lights being out. Maybe that would cut down on accidents.

I hope no one we know was hurt in that big I-40 pile up. Since we don’t have TV or Internet I can’t get any info on it. Stay home people.