Weekend Update

This morning when I went out with Fred, about 7 a.m., it was -19 wind chill. Neg.a.tive nine.teen. The wind has been howling all day, and pieces of ice are blowing off the trees. We didn't get to Sunday school this morning as the car's check engine light was on- low coolant. PJ pulled it into the garage then walked down to the gas station to get more. At least this will get us to the dealer to see if we have a leak. So we will have that expense (as well as a coolant flush I am very certain as the coolant that was in the car was pink and the coolant at the gas station was green and from what I can surmise from the interwebs mixing the two causes gelling which is no bueno) along with the $150+ for the electrician and the shutoff / turn on charges from the electric company. Ho ho freaking ho. I feel really bad whining when dear friends as well as family are out of work. But I am feeling the weight of the ice. I am turning blue.
From what we can gather from the newspaper, as well as from acquaintances, the power line laying in the backyard that we are experiencing is not uncommon. Laurie called from Florida- she said her cable line is in their back yard. Her sister is at her house, and her brother and his fam are at her parent's place. No word on when their power will be back on- and they are not far from here at all. There was a lady interviewed in the newspaper whose power line is in her backyard, just like ours. She called the fire dept, who put some caution tape all around it (that was funny to me) as well as the power company who told her they could not shut it off, and to keep people and dogs out of the back yard. This made me feel better, a little, as that is what we are doing. But it went on to say that she knows she could lose power at any time and her neighbor who had no power wouldn't come over for fear that either the line would catch fire or she would be electrocuted. No longer feeling better.
The thermometer says it's 3 degrees out, but with the howling wind it's -21 wind chill. We are talking in Chicago ON the lake IN January. Not nice. And we are not looking for any relief until late in the week, and even with the rising temperatures there will be rain, some of it freezing. I'm officially in a funk. Please send warm thoughts. I know it will get better. But the boy deciding he is getting too big to cuddle with his mommy does not help at all.