Power to the People -- Or, From Merriment to Mass Chaos

Christmas 2013 will be a year we never forget.

It all started out well enough with early Christmas Eve (Dec. 20) with the traditional cookie decorating.

This is one of my favorite happenings of the year -- after our special dinner, out come the cookies and the frosting.

Kevin, of course, always manages an obscenely enormous cookie which we make him eat at least a bit!

The next day, my friend Barb and I returned to Grand Oak Herb Farm for high tea.

It was their last event of the season with a menu that included Yorkshire pudding, scrumptious desserts, delicious breads, beef, chicken, creamed peas, potato casserole and delicious lime-minty carrots. And of course, lovely tea!

That was Saturday, the day the ice storm started. By 5 a.m. the next morning, our entire region and a good deal of the state (600,000 homes) would be paralyzed by a massive power failure. And we would be entranced by a winter wonderland that was dazzling.

The roads were a mess; power lines downed everywhere. Rick lost power in his house and the adjacent duplex he owns. Worried about the boiler, he went to the lake to bring back a kerosene heater, only to discover that power was required to plug it in.

On our "Christmas Eve" (Dec. 23), he and Kevin drove to his aunt's to pick up a generator. He was one of the lucky ones -- trying to get a generator in this town was a losing battle. When they got back, we did presents with the kids, who then took off to the next house.

Did I mention the ice? Michigan is on different power companies, with different repair schedules and different support.  As I write this on the morning of the sixth day, Rick is still without power, as are 2,600 Lansing homes and another 18,00 or so, give or take. (The numbers are fluid and contradicted in various reports.) There are plenty of power lines down and while we were lucky with tree damage, it was significant.

Snow, too. You get snow on top of ice that hasn't melted. More branches down, more power lines in jeopardy.

On "real" Christmas Eve we found ourselves too organized! So after some shoveling...

...we went shopping (for nothing in particular!) and to lunch. It was so relaxing! Of course, everyone in the bookstore was charging cell phones and checking email on their computers.

"Real" Christmas Day was lovely. Rick and I did presents, then we were joined for dinner by good friends -- all of whom had been without power for four days (one of whom was staying with us, a powerless nomad!).

Of course, Christmas crackers made it all the merrier with silly jokes, prizes and paper crowns. Does anyone else think Rick looks like Jughead of Archie comic book fame?

Even my Cosi girl Lizzie was pretty cozy!

So, we are on Day Six of Ice Storm Aftermath. Power is coming back on for some; estimates for our neighborhood are "over the weekend" which could be seven or eight days.

Meanwhile, the temperatures are pretty darned cold (in some cases inside and out) and the weekend is scheduled to be even colder. People are hunkering down as much as they can.

It all causes much thought. First and foremost, I am most grateful that my power was OK. We had a warm place to be, space to offer to others and could prepare a lovely feast to share with friends. We were able to save Rick's house thanks to Aunt Carol and her generator. True, no phone or cable yet, but I have internet and heat and really, that's the best. (Update: cable back; phone can be used for calling out again; now I can continue my Comcast Hell experience to get calling-in back, something that started Dec. 17.)

I've heard nothing but wonderful stories about how people are helping others. One of our local coffee shop chains that planned to be closed on Christmas opened their doors so people could warm up, check mail and charge phones.

My Facebook feed has been filled with posts saying "Stop in to warm up" and "We now have an open bed if someone needs it." The generosity of spirit has indeed been heartwarming. Not surprising, perhaps, but heartwarming nonetheless.

The power workers are tireless, it seems. This is extremely dangerous work and they are working round the clock on 16 hour shifts in very cold conditions. They are doing their best and we are all grateful for their work, particularly over the holidays when I'm sure they'd rather be with their families. But There are a lot of problems here, a lot of issues with the lack of preparedness by the power companies and the slow rate of getting things back in gear. Nursing homes and senior residency places have been running without lights and only generator heat. People are spending a small fortune in hotel rooms, unplanned transportation, spoiled food and much more and anticipating repairs from frozen pipes, among other things. After six days, people are becoming far more stressed. It stopped being "fun" or an "adventure."

It is hard to believe that something so dazzling, so beautiful -- one thinks of crystal necklaces draped over branches as they sparkle in the sun -- can be so damaging. We've heard of carbon monoxide deaths, houses destroyed by fire as families tried to stay warm and car accidents as people negotiate broken stop lights. And plenty of people are toughing it out in the frigid cold.

But we soldier on. We weren't leveled by a hurricane or a tornado. It will be comparatively easier to "come back." There will be costs, there will be damage, there will be a lot of grousing and a lot of it justified. Michigan doesn't get a lot of extreme weather -- we're not in tornado alley or near the hurricane-prone seaboard, we tend not to have the brush fires that plague the west or the floods that affect those near great rivers. So, for us this is a big deal.

But when all is said and done, life will return to normal. Snow in the winter, the promise of spring someday, far away.

For now, the days get longer -- minute by minute. We regroup and we wait. And we do it together.

And really, it will be a Christmas we will never forget.

Taking Tea at Grand Oak Herb Farm

Back last winter, I discovered a treasure in our mid-Michigan community when I visited Grand Oak Herb Farm for a Christmas tea. (You can see that post HERE.) As you can imagine, in Michigan's December it didn't look like this!

To see the farm in its full spring glory was only part of the reason my friend Barb and I returned there. the other reason was to enjoy one of Beulah's teas and to get some tips on preparing aromatherapy potions.

We arrived a little early -- with a bit of time to walk around the grounds and check out the greenhouse, where fairy gardens were plentiful!

Numerous flights of fancy passed through our minds as we enjoyed the wee gardens and the soon-to-be larger plants within.

The on to tea, first passing by this charming spot...

...and entering the tea room.

The table was lovely with easy-to-make tiered sandwich/dessert trays, created with plates and goblets, which are often found at very reasonable prices at the dollar store if you don't want to start gluing your mother's Waterford to serving plates!

They were packed with sandwiches and sweets. We learned that the savory flavors were at the bottom, the saltier bits might be on the next level and at the top, the sweets! And, that you eat from the bottom up!

My plate included Beulah's wonderful basil-curry chicken salad, ham with orange marmelade and dill on pumpernickel, a potato quesadilla and the most divine crostini with an herb butter that included herbs and parmesan cheese. (I could have eaten the whole plate of that!) Other sandwiches included an open face corned beef with horshradish and mint and wee cucumber sandwich rounds.

We were most captivated by her candles. Here's how to do it: In jars, put lemon verbena and orange wedges at the bottom, add a few more fragrant greens if you like. Add water and add a floating candle. What sweet fragrance! 

We had an iced and hot tea. Beulah makes her own teas and both were delicious!

 

After we worked our way up the tray, Beulah and Peg offered a variety of demonstrations and sharing of products they make and sell at the shop -- and were generous in sharing their. Because I don't sew, 

 

I bought one of the micro-or-freezer sinus pillows, made from lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary and mint. Lavender brings with it healing properties -- and of course it smells wonderful!

My favorite was the firestarters and I will be collecting pine cones to do this. 

 

Start with a dried pine cone and tie a long wick around the middle and knot it, so it has two ends. With twine or curling ribbon, tie dried lavender stems and if need be, a drop of lavender oil. Then melt wax -- soy wax is recommended over paraffin, but I suppose both would work. drip that on the knot. Then using a piece of pretty fabric, tie a knot. (The one I bought as a sample at the shop also had a blob of the wax on the bottom of the firestarter, too.) Light both ends of the wicks and off you go! (I suppose you could use wheat or raffia in place of the fabric for a different look.) 

 

Another easy idea -- buy or make muslin tie bags, fill them with dried lavender buds and use in the dryer.

 

Peg showed us how to make bath bags -- use epsom salts, lavender, ice cream salts, baking soda and a few drops of lavender and bergemot essential oils. Put into a bag to hand over the shower nozzle or  hang over the faucet/float in the tub.

(With all items, using a cellophane bag is better than a poly one or baggie because the fragrance will leak.

Another idea -- a hankie pillow. Instead of tossing Grandma's tatted hankie, fold in half, stitch along two sides, fill with fragrance (they used lavender, lemon verbena, bergemot and mint) and stitch the top. Place between your pillows for a healing sleep!

Here's another quick idea. I've made lights like these at Christmas -- putting lights in a glass vase or bowl. But next time, I'll be adding some potpourri to it! 

They also discussed tinctures -- the importance of essential oils which are pure and so much more! They make their own moth repellent with cedar shavings, dried cedar, rosemary, lavender, cloves and bay along with eucalyptus oil. No chemicals. No moths, either!

I think our tea with Peg and Beulah was over too soon -- so much to learn, to savor, to sniff, to see! We wrapped up our visit exploring the grounds a bit more...

...and of course, the gift shop!

For those who live in the mid-Michigan area, Grand Oak Herb Farm is well worth the drive to Bancroft, a small town easily accessible by I-69. To give you an idea how popular this spot is, we had guests at our table from as far as Detroit! Please check out the website HERE for additional teas and workshops this summer and return for ones this fall.