"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"

Perhaps you've heard: the weather of 2014 broke all kinds of records, caused severe damage, and wreaked havoc on Pure Michigan. From its beginning, the bitter cold shut down school (yay!) for days at the time and I snuggled into 2798 Phillips with my dear housemate, good books, my knitting, and the leftover wine from our bar christening (oh, yeah, I did just finish the basement -- more on that later). We're now into a new school year (my tenth!) and raindrops keep fallin' on my head.

House rules. 

 "Well, come out when the skating rink glistens"
When Detroit broke its 100 year record of 94.8 inches, it was April. No joke. Here's the article. As nice as the snow days were and as much as I like sweaters and hot chocolate as much as the next true Michigander, enough was enough. I was most definitely not the girl rooting for that extra half an inch so we could claim a record had been broken.

Bright spot amidst the cold - helping Daniel learn to ice skate!

My lady friends at Maggie's son's wedding

Beautiful day at New Smyrna

"Broken pipes, broken tools"

The really deep hole with two men in it

The trench in my front yard

To escape the frigidity, my Florida friends embraced me like a refugee in both January and February - thank you, friends! Shortly before I left, however, blank gunk seeped onto the floor from the floor drain in the laundry room. If this happens to you, call the plumber. Immediately. This might lead to the water being shut off for ten days carpet being cut to find drains and pipes, big trucks digging up the frozen ground in the front yard, and all the sewer lines being replaced. You still should call the plumber. Immediately. My retired dad oversaw the project while I basked in Florida's February rays. Thanks, Dad! I returned home and while the project was mostly completed, the water still had not been turned back on ... "to my parents' house, I go". My sewers, however, are really clean. 

"And yer sky cries water and yer drain pipe's a-pourin'"

The sewage-water at its highest

On the night of August 11th, I watched as Phillips Avenue filled with water. This is actually fairly normal and I didn't think much of it; what was not normal, however, and what I did not realize, was that the rising water came at such a speed that sump pumps and sewers were not able to keep up. My friend Brad called to ask if I'd come over to hang out with his boys while he attempted to siphon the water out of his basement. Before I attempted the trip, I happened to look into my newly finished, "solidly waterproofed" basement to see the water gathering on the floor. I now understand what it means to feel utterly helpless. The water rose so fast and with such momentum, at points I just stared as it got higher and higher. My mom risked driving in absurdly flooded roads to help me bail out the basement; ultimately, the water disappeared almost as quickly as it rose and within a short time, the carpet was soaked but not covered and all that remained was remnants of the sewage. (It looked remarkably like the black gunk previously seen in episode February so apparently the pipes were not quite as clean as I thought.) All over the area, people were forced to ditch cars on the interstate, salvage what they could from flooded basements, and at points, just sit helplessly. It was a wacky experience, and really made me empathize with those who have lost their homes to flooding. My parents helped as I salvaged most of my belongings and calmed me down in my more frantic moments. I know a guy who knows a guy and the basement was clean and dry before many people could even get on a waiting list for abatement! (Is it needless to say that I never made it over to the Davies' that night? Honestly, I'm not sure how I would've gotten there with sheets of rain pouring down and flooded streets.)

"Come in, she said, I'll give you shelter from the storm"
It stormed rather hard again last Friday night and shortly into the storm, the lights flickered a few times and we lost power. Deborah and I really couldn't do much but laugh. Let's be honest: it was really just a good opportunity to go to bed *extra* early on a Friday night. It was the hottest evening we've had all summer and to escape the dead air, I ended up sleeping on one-third of the sectional in the basement, which, if you recall, is gutted. Saturday morning, we typically chat with coffee in our jam-jams; this weekend's chat happened without coffee in the dark basement pre-cleaning out the fridge. Once again, I loaded the car, this time with my fridge's contents, and headed to my parents'. Just when they think they're rid of me ..... Thankfully, they are always up for a visit and providing shelter to their wayward daughter and the power resumed late last night in time for my fourth week of school to begin. On my way in this morning, NPR reported 98,000 Detroiters are still without power. Again, I lifted up a silent prayer that truly, my situation could pretty much always be worse.

"It's not dark yet"

Despite the major inconveniences of 2014 weather-related incidents, I am deeply fortunate. Fortunate to have made it through with my home intact, my body all in one piece, and my spirits high, thanks to my framily who keeps me laughing and never minds hearing my woeful tales. I know full well how good I have it. Simply put, 2014 has been a year of growth. From its beginning, my strength as a person grew through all the reminders that I am SO not the one in control. It would be great if life were easy and if everything went exactly the way I expected to or the way I really, really, really want it to. And yet, that's just not real life. It is a year of bright spots - good friends, family memories made and big moments celebrated (two retirements!), a Forensics season of which I am incredibly proud, my new car, Poppy!, the third CHWC in the D which was bigger and more impactful than ever, summer travels including my first UP trip, an impromptu Justin Timberlake concert which qualifies as one of the best nights of my life, planting in the Secret Garden and escapes into fiction (highlights: Wonder, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage, I Kill the Mockingbird, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, and The One and Only Ivan).

CHWC dance party 2014

Reading on Belle Isle (Detroit skyline)

Nathan and Charlotte honoring
a tradition in the Boston Common

Celebrating Kate's birthday
in Nashville

JT

UP blueberry-picking with Sue

Arch Rock on Mackinc Island

Poppy faithfully carrying my new plants

"I got all the love, honey baby / You can stand"
As a kid, I read Highlights Magazine religiously and really love the Hidden Pictures page. So, how many hidden blessings can you find in this post? I count a whole bunch for 2014 and the list keeps rolling. Life remains .. full of grace.