Perhaps I should play the numbers?

This was the fortune I received last Friday night when dining with Amy before the theater (a delightful musical rendition of Jane Austin's Emma). While we laughed at at the time, my Cincinnati visit turned even more adventurous over the weekend. The real disaster is of course the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in Texas, but Greater Cincinnati caught the tail end of the winds that came through at hurricane strength of Sunday. At one point during the storm, 90% of customers were without power and all the local TVstations continue to lead with "Blackout 2008." Sharon and Jeff were still out Wednesday and don't expect power to be on until the weekend.

I was on my way Sunday afternoon to catch up with Pam when the wind really picked up. By the time I reached their place, the power was out. Pam pulled out flashlights and candles and when Kathy returned from P&G's Dividend Day at Kings Island, we settled in for a great scrabble game. I peaked early - all vowels makes building big points difficult! Monday evening Brett invited me down for dinner and use of his shower which was much appreciated and I got a bonus visit with his daughter Holly whom I haven't seen over a year. I lunched with Joan R on Tuesday and we had a good chat over dishwashing (I washed, she dried and put away) while a Duke Energy crew was stringing new wire for their Kenwood neighborhood, and by Tuesday afternoon the power was back on in Mason.