UFS 2014 volunteers, pre sign up

[Mike S.]

Yeah, what he said.

[Waterfoul]

OK, Mike and I have rooms booked nearby with our wives so you can put us down for just about any time on Saturday.

[Got Fish??]

hello Dan. the show is less than two weeks away, any idea who is scheduled for that week and when?

[YpsiBass]

Any of you guys want to meet up at the tilted kilt or that bbq place on novi road for lunch? I think we tried it last year or the year before and it was fun.

[mikesmiph]

Dan hasn't had power at his house since the storm. Give him a break. He's busy keeping his feet warm right now. There will be a list, when there is a list. Be patient.

[Mike S.]

Gee Mike, you've been pretty snippy with your responses to people lately. What gives man?

[djkimmel]

Mikesmiph's post could be taken different ways. There's no visible emotion behind posts so sometimes the read interprets the words based on their own state of mind at the time. It's an interesting psychology of email, forums and other written communication.

Meanwhile, I would say I'm probably more than a little punchy at times lately. Going into our 7th day Saturday without power or Internet. Fun fun fun. No word even on when we might get power. It could be tomorrow, or it could be 2027... who knows. Not the BWL anyway.

My Internet box is smashed into a thousand pieces on the ground outside. It has to be replaced by AT&T before I can get Internet back on from my actual ISP. AT&T seems to have forgotten we've lived here and had a network interface box for over 20 years... typical (and a good example why I don't use them for service). I may have to wait an extra week just for posting that

A fishing buddy loaned us a generator on Christmas Eve so we can stay in our house with the furnace, the sump pump and a few lights. I got my laptop running again but can only piggyback a little on my cell phone. You would need to be here in the middle of Lansing Michigan's Icepocalypse 2013 to understand that you can no longer rely on things like 'technology' right now.

The cell signal seems to be controlled by a rotating, oscillating tower that pulses on and off like a slow Motorguide trolling motor. More dropped calls than an NFL referee... it finally seems to be coming back Friday evening. It isn't flipping between 3G and 4G as often, and the bars aren't dropping to no bars for as long or as often either.

Sure has been fun. I've waited on hold more this week than all of 2013. And more often I've ended up just giving up too. I really liked Thursday when lots of numbers wouldn't even start to ring. Just 'boop!' Cut off!

Thanks to the very nice Lansing Firemen who came to our house late Thursday too after BWL turned on our 'power' even though out power lines were laying on the ground next to the porch and through the tree! While I was clearing brush and logs around the front yard hoping I'd be less likely to be skipped if they showed up. Let me tell you - that was quite the light and sound show for a few seconds!!! Nothing quite says good day like 3 hot 1200V wires laying in the snow!!!

The firemen taped off the tree and wires, and made their own call to the power company. I'm betting that's why it only took them 23.5 more hours to come out to my house and cut them off the pole... Lots of good debate over just what those wires could and couldn't do while draped over my tree and stretched across my yard along the porch!! I do believe I convinced them to replace the wires completely by pointing out all the bare patches - the ones that were putting on the light show whenever they moved and hit each other - pfffttt! phhhzzzzttt!! SNAP! POP! POP!! It gets your attention...

I've been told we still have to get more limbs cut off the tree before they'll run new wires. I think they're going to do it and not charge me... but not sure yet on that. More opinions and conjecture. We did pay an electrician to remount our mast and meter on the house. The cut off crew seemed to think we had that part covered. I sure hope the next crew does the branches AND the new wires... but no clear answer on that. And no idea when we'll see them... Sure hope it is before the UFS!

Now that I've got my laptop working again, I'm trying to get caught up but there are things that need to be done first (and not just on the old Internet) so as Mike asks (nicely I thought) please have some patience. I'm looking for an intern...



Going to be lots of clean up yet to do in the front and back yards. Still some good-sized branches just hanging way up in the tree in the front (besides the obvious whoppers that caused most of the damage. Lots of branches of all sizes in the back yard on my camper, on the garage roof and the willow tree is ridiculous. No idea how there are any branches left in that thing!?! There's a monster hanging up there that has to come down somehow - maybe tonight's wind will finish that one off?

We were lucky since the trees only took out all our wires and leaned against the camper and garage. We have neighbors with holes in their roof and broken windows.

I do want to thank the neighbors, family and friends who helped us get the clean up started, our mast, meter and knobs back up, a generator for heat and some lights, and all the other things we take for granted that suddenly become complicated or almost impossible when this stuff happens. There are people that have had no heat or power at all all week. Feel real sorry for them. Flooded basements, no food, fires, carbon monoxide, you name it. It was nice to have everyone around here checking in with each other, and double-checking that you're doing things the right way so you don't have to deal with flood, fire or poisoning.

Even being real cold out until today helped in one way - we were able to avoid losing the majority of our food despite having no frig/freezer for almost a week now. Don't know how many of you had some adversity this week but I hope you have your power back and didn't sustain any costly damage!

[mikesmiph]

Like Dan said, I guess it's in the eye of the reader. I meant nothing by what I said other than the words I wrote. Just trying to get Dan a little break because I knew what he was going through. Certainly didn't mean to offend anyone.

[Got Fish??]

Hi Dan and Mike, I'm sorry for your troubles. I will just show up all week. I know what it takes to cleanup a storm like that.

[Skulley]

Cabin fever already.  WOW!!!     


BD                   

[capt charlie's charters]

I can work with T Bone on Friday from 2 - 4 and let me know if you need help with any other days/times.

capt charlie

[djkimmel]

Okay - updating the schedule. No cabin fever here. Yet. Wood and snow hauling fever - YES!!! ouchy. Hope most of you aren't having to get too big a workout the past few weeks! I think I will call this winter 'the Michigan workout.'