The Tag

* At the end, please read about Lisa and her soup week, you will be glad you did!*

I was tagged by Kim

(I love Kim and you will too-

Please give her a visit!)

I am suppose to go to my pictures folder and then to the fourth folder inside, select the fourth photo there. I did! OUCH. Not much of a picture for someone who loves taking pictures. But there is really a neat story behind this tree picture....

You see, we had just moved to our new home after retiring from the police department (me) and the fire department (hubby). We bought a little home with nearly three acres of trees. We had lived here three and a half months, loved it and was settling down for winter. It was December and we were taking the kids and my parents on a cruise for Christmas. About a week before we were to leave it started raining. No big deal, we need rain. But then the temperature started dropping and the next thing you know, ice starts forming on EVERYTHING. As the night came of course temps dropped and then the sounds of shotgun blast every where. It was not shotguns, but that is exactly what it sounded like. The trees and branches started cracking and breaking everywhere. Then the electricity went out. No heat, temperature dropping, no lights, it was a mess. Outside in the stillness you heard the loud cracking everywhere. You knew what was happening...more of those mighty oaks were falling to heavy weight of the ice. The gentle rain that started out helping to moisten the dry land, became the Nemesis around our necks.

The next day our electricity came on, flickered on and off a few times but we were ok. My parents however were not. We took the generator to them. My brother, his wife and two young children were all going to benefit from it. My aunt and uncle who are in their 70's, he with a broken collar bone and she with a freshly replaced hip came to stay with us for they too were without power. Just as they drove up to our house, came in and settled down....out went the power here as well. My husband was still at my parents hooking up the generator and I could not have him bring it back home. I could not do that to my parents. So after he got through there with them he drove to Enid, two hours away to pick up another generator. Not as big as the one we loaned my parents, but big enough. He called Lowe's, got them to hold one for him and away he drove. He got home finally in all this big mess, roads slippery and all. He started hooking things up and about an hour later....presto, bingo, bango, the lights came back on. Not because of the generator, but because we are very lucky, blessed or whatever you want to call it. We are on the same line as the water treatment plant and I am sure that must have helped!

My aunt and uncle chose to stay with us as we could care for them and their house was still without power. We did take the generator over to them and hooked up their freezer. Then during the day they would go home and take care of things there, watch over the generator and at night time pull it back into the garage, come back to our home and stay with us. A week went by and still most everyone was with out power. We washed our clothes, took hot baths, worked out in the yard cleaning up the messes. The temps went right back up, seems like in the 50's so if you did have food in the freezer with no power this was not going to be good. We were so blessed. My parents still had no electricity. But they would not come to our home. Stubborn people. We were leaving in just a day or so for a week cruise. Within 24 hours of leaving their power comes back on, they wash clothes and we leave for Mexico. Beth, my daughter, in OKC still had no power, washed her clothes at a friends house, packed by flashlight, missed her plane due to delays, flight being cancelled, etc. had to drive to Tulsa to try and catch a flight, made it, missed other flights, it was a MESS. We got her in Houston, got on the bus, driver got lost taking us to our ship, they held the ship, we were about an hour late, went through all the process of getting on the boat....and set sail. Thank goodness. We can now relax. Came home, all was well.

Beth had a mess to clean out in her refrigerator.

Ok these are just extra pictures to share.

You've been tagged then this is how you play:

1. Go to your 4th folder on your computer where you store photos.

2. Select your 4th picture (no exceptions).

3. Post the picture with an explanation and a link back to your tagger.

4. Tag 4 people to do the same.

My four tagged people are:

1. Debbie at Gettin It Outta My Head

2. Helen at Reddirt Woman

3. Joni at Morning Coffee

4. Tonjia at One Step Forward

This will be interesting to see what you girls come up with. I have covered from coast to coast and two in between.

And......

Oh and you have got to check out Lisa and her soup week...her first soup is already making me anxious to see what tomorrow brings. I want a good tortilla soup, like El chico, many have tried and all have failed to give me one that is even close! Go check out her Chicken and wild rice soup!