A slow start is a time to prepare

So far, the ice storm has been fairly mild. We got a fair amount of rain, and I had to scrape the windows of the truck and kick the doors to get in, but the roads were OK. The forecast for tomorrow, however, is a little more dire. 1/2 to 1 and 1/2" of ice on everything, bringing down trees and power lines. I'll believe it when I see it, but just in case I went and picked up the generator this morning.

I took Alyssa with me to get the generator and other emergency equipment. I enjoy spending one-on-one time with her, because she really opens up and will talk quite a bit. Understanding her words is hard, and understanding their meaning is even harder, but it's worth the effort. Today she was telling me an hilarious story about the kids in her class. I recognized their names, and I new it was funny because of the way she was laughing. I didn't quite catch any other details.

Alyssa survived the long, disappointing ride home from the party last night, and only cried half of the way. She probably wouldn't have cried at all if I hadn't conked her head on the doorjamb while putting her in the car. Bring on the daddy guilt!

We had a slumber party of our own back in Kara's safe room. We have closed the Master Bedroom off from the rest of the house by sealing the door and vents with aluminum tape, and climbing in and out through a window. The windows in the room are quite tall, fortunately, and the bottom sill is only about a foot off of the ground.

The room is quite spartan, with only a space heater, air filter, and a futon mattress laid on the floor. Next to this we put a bed roll for Alyssa, and she was asleep within minutes. She's just not cut out for the traditional sleepover, which is why I brought her home in the first place.

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