Momisims!

Why? Because I said so.

I'm counting to ten.

If everyone jumped off of a cliff would you do it too?

You weren't born in a barn? Shut the door!

Do any of these phrases sound familiar? Do you find yourself saying them? If so, it happened. You became your mother!

Scary thought, made even scarier, if like me, you don't have any children and you find your self saying them to the dog!

I have a great mom. She is actually at the top of the list of people I admire. She 's not famous. She didn't invent anything or break any records. She simply raised three daughters and she did it very well. To me, that is a huge accomplishment.

Mother's Day has been celebrated in various ways since Greek and Roman times. In the U.S., Mother's Day became a National holiday in 1914 due o the efforts of many women, including Julie Ward Howe, pacifist, suffragist, and author to the lyrics to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic and Anna Jarvis.

Anna was inspired by her own mother, an Appalachian homemaker who organized "Mother's Work Day" to raise the awareness of poor health conditions in her community.

So to woman like Julie Ward Howe, Anna Jarvis and my own mom. Happy Mother's Day! And Thanks.

Featured gift basket, A Moment In Time, a perfect gift for Mother's Day or any day.

Love

Marie

It's a Dog's Life

"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” (Roger Caras)

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. As we have in the past, Laurel Mountain Basket Company's Studio will be a collection station for donations. In addition to dog (and cat) food, gently used toys, bedding, collars, leashes, and towels, area shelters are in need of office supplies and cleaning supplies such as laundry detergent, bleach and paper towels.

According to the ASPCA, 29 % of dogs are left at shelters because of family living situations and 40% are left because of incompatibility with the family lifestyle or the dog did not meet the family's expectations.

I am amazed at the amount of money people are paying for dogs these day. A friend told me they were looking to purchase a particular breed of dog and they were prepared to spend $2000. A "for sale" posting on a local bulletin board offered mixed breed puppies for $300 each and yet many of these dogs end up at shelters because the owners were not prepared to take on the responsibilities associated with owning a dog.

I can't imaging living without a dog. I've had at least one dog as a companion for the last 50 years, so I know what a huge responsibility they are.

Owning a dog is a long term commitment since a dog may life 15 years and they need daily care.

Owning a dog is expensive. In addition to the bare essentials of food and medical care, dogs need training and in most areas, they need to be licensed. Other costs can include grooming, day care, dog walking, kenneling or in home care when the owner will be away for an extended period of time.

If you are considering adding a dog to your household, please consider adopting from a shelter and please give a little thought to the type of dog (large, small, short hair, low energy) and choose one that will best suit your family structure.

P.S. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we donate a portion from the sale of all of our pet gifts and gift baskets to area shelters. Looking for a special gift for a special dog, how about a personalized pet treat tin!

Thanks

Marie

Fun for the Young & Young at Heart

A friend and her husband recently took their daughter and a friend to see the latest "must see" tween age girl movie. She said the amount of money that they spent, for parking, tickets, popcorn and a drink, would have paid for a nice dinner for two at an upscale restaurant.
Spending time doing something that is fun with the kids doesn't have to break the bank.
A Home Movie Night can be lots of fun. Rent a video (or borrow one from your local library) and snuggle on the sofa with a huge bowl of popcorn. I still remember how much fun it was watching Wizard of Oz on TV with my folks and kid sisters and that was 30/40 years ago! Creating cherished memories for your kids (and for yourself) is really very easy.
Create a Game Night: My favorite is board game is Monopoly. Got beaten badly by my nephew the last time we played, but it was really fun! Choose a couple of age appropriate games and settle down for an evening of heavy competition! Have an ample supply of cookies and coca or chips and dips on hand and you are ready for hours of fun. You may be pleasantly surprised when your child whoops you good at "Chutes and Ladders" or "Crazy Eights"
Night at the Movies Gift Basket (shown) designed by Laurel Mountain Basket Company Easthampton, Ma.

It's Personal

Gift baskets are a great gift idea. That's why you will find them in discount stores, large department and grocery stores and pharmacy chains across the country. Especially during the Holidays. Some of the gift baskets are actually pretty nice, but to me, they lack imagination. Getting a gift basket filled with coffee mugs, flavored coffee and cookies, all sporting the logo of a major national coffee chain, tells me little thought went into buying that gift.
At a gift basket company like Laurel Mountain Basket Company you will find gift baskets with personality. Gift baskets designed especially for events like birthdays or bereavements, or for individuals with a passion like golf or fishing. A gift basket can be so much more than the sum of its parts. It can be a gift as unique as the person giving it and the person receiving it.

It's Easy

Press one for English, enter your 99 digit number, if you know your party's extension, dial it now, listen carefully since our options have changed, all of our operators are busy helping other customers...... and then when you finally do get to talk to a person, they can't help you and have to transfer you to yet another person who can't help you. Sound familiar? This is what many companies consider "customer service".

You won't find that kind of service at Laurel Mountain Basket Company. When you call us, you will get one of two responses. Either a cheerful human will answer the phone and be ready and able to help you or you will get a short recorded message, informing you we are not in and asking you to leave a message. When you leave a message, you WILL get a response. A human, who is ready and able to help you, WILL return your call as soon as we return to the Studio.

We make ordering a gift basket from Laurel Mountain Basket Company so simple any one can do it. No time to shop? Shop 24/7 on our website which is designed to make choosing a gift and ordering it as easy as it can be. All of our gift baskets are individually created at the time of purchase, not sitting in a warehouse for days or weeks.

We also custom design gift baskets for our clients. Don't see exactly what you are looking for on line? We will create it for you. Our gift basket designers are professionals. They can answer all of your questions and help you make informed decisions. Whether you need a single gift for some one who is hard to buy for or 100 gifts for a corporate event, we can help. It's easy, just give us a call at Laurel Mountain Basket Company, "where gift giving won't make you a basket case!"

Happy shopping,

Marie

College Survival Kits

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating high school graduations across the region and in only a few weeks, many of those graduates will be on their way to college.

For some, it will be their first time away from home. It can be a big adjustment for both students and parents. With cell phones and e-mail staying in touch today is easier than ever before. So parents, make it a point to contact your student regularly, at least for the first few weeks while they get adjusted.

Another great way to stay in touch is with care packages. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we offer a full line of care packages especially designed for students, including our Off To College Kits. Sending a package filled with not so gourmet treats is a fun way to let your student know that you are thinking of them. For a limited time, to help offset the cost of higher education, we are offering FREE SHIPPING of our Off To College Kits to colleges and universities within the continental United States.
For more information, check out our website at http://www.laurelmtbasket.com/ or you can call us at 413-527-1243.

Summer Time In New England

It's summer time in New England and the Pioneer Valley is covered in lush green under a bright blue sky. Farm stands are filled with local produce. We've lived here all of our lives and every summer we enjoy shopping at the local farms. There's nothing tastier than fresh sweet corn on the cob or a veggie kabob on the grill. From acorn squash to zucchini you'll find it all in our little corner of the world.

We love living in New England. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we spend a lot of time traveling around, constantly on the look out for new and different products to add to our gift baskets. We've recently discovered Bleu Cheese Chipoltle dip and Sundried Tomato Horseradish dip from Appalachian Naturals. Bleu cheese chipoltle and sundried tomato horseradish are not flavors usually associated with New England but these taste treats are made right here from ingredients grown on local farms.

Our Home Grown Gift Basket (photo above) is a new and different taste of New England. Summer time is the time for family gatherings and one of our New England style gift baskets makes a great hostess gift.

Have a sunny summer and remember to eat your veggies!
Marie

Bear Fest Easthampton 2009

Bear Fest Easthampton 2009 is in full swing. On June 13th the Easthampton City Arts unveiled 35 artist created fiberglass bears in and around downtown Easthampton, MA.

On Sunday, my husband, my 2 dogs and I took a walk to view many of the creations with names like Ted E. Bear, Ursa Major, Bumble Bear (shown in photo), and Bear Hugs. It took us hours to walk the short distance because we kept meeting friends and neighbors with their families enjoying the bears as well. All of the bears are beautifully painted, or otherwise artistically enhanced.

In honor of Bear Fest, Mt Tom Ice Cream created a special ice cream treat and Opa Opa, the local brewery created a special brew. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company, we are featuring our Bear-y Special Gift Basket.

Bear Fest 2009 will continue through out the summer with city wide events culminating in a week-long celebration of the arts including concerts, an ArtWalk, and a gala dinner and auction of the bears on October 15th.

For those of you in Western Massachusetts, take a stroll around downtown. I guarantee you will have a great time. Stop for an ice cream at Mt Tom's or a coffee and pastry at Sunrise. Try the Sunday buffet at Your Way Gourmet, and while you are in Eastworks (that's where Bumble Bear and Astronaut Bear are), stop by the Laurel Mountain studios and say hello.

Final Exam Survival Kit

It's that time of year again. School is about to end, Summer Vacation is about to begin. Many students are only weeks away from graduation. Weeks away form starting a new chapter in their lives. Some will be going on to college, some will by starting their careers. But before Summer Vacation, before graduation, before starting college or a career, they face Final Exams!
Show your favorite student that you are thinking of them and wish them good luck with a Final Exam Survival Kit from Laurel Mountain Basket Company. Our eco friendly boxes are filled with a generous assortment of "not so gourmet" snack items including popcorn, cookies, granola bars, candy bars, and more, all of the things late night study sessions are made of. A hand written note is included to let your student know that you are there for them.

Happy Mother's Day

Mothers are very special people. On the second Sunday in May, it will be the 102nd anniversary of Mother's Day. I report I read recently stated that 96% of us in the U.S. celebrate Mother's Day. Mother's Day is the day phone companies log the most long distance calls, it is the busiest day of the year for many restaurants and retailers rank Mother's Day second only to Christmas.
If you are a statistics junkie, like me, here are some more numbers that I found really interesting. In the U.S. there are an estimated 82.8 MILLION mothers, of mothers with infants, 27 million (almost 3/4) work outside of the home. The odds of a woman delivering twins are 1 in 33 and for triplets or other multiple births, 1 in 539. The woman from California who gave birth to octuplets earlier this year should be living in Vegas.
My mom is great. I'm lucky. She lives in the area and I get to see her often. But like the shoemaker whose family goes barefoot, I get so busy at the Laurel Mountain Basket Company studio making gift baskets for other people to send for Mother's Day, I'm usually putting together something for my own Mom at the very last minute.
Remember Sunday, May 10th. Give your mom a call, take her to lunch and if you want to send her a gift especially created with her in mind, we would be happy to design one for you. We also have a great line of gift basket designs that are perfect for Mother's Day . We deliver to cities and towns in the Pioneer Valley section of Western Massachusetts and ship anywhere.

Most Interesting Gift Baskets

At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we create gift baskets for every occasion and will custom design gift baskets for our clients.
An interviewer once asked me what was the most interesting gift basket I ever made. My answer: a baby basket for a horse. A client wanted a gift basket for her friends horse. The horse had recently given birth and my client thought it would be fun to send a gift basket.
It was a challenge. But it was really fun to design. I used a straw cow boy hat as the "basket". Made a trip to the local feed and grain store (not one of my usual shopping haunts) where I purchased some carrot flavored cookies, shampoo and conditioner, a curry brush and a few other items necessary to create a SPA basket for a horse. My client loved it, as did her friend. I don't know what the horse thought.
So when I read article about the 20 horses entered in the Kentucky Derby receiving gift baskets, I wasn't that surprised. These gift basket will contain stuff a highly trained athlete needs before a big race including a super joint solution to help with inflammation and stiffness.
At Laurel Mountain Basket Company we make a lot of gift baskets for pets and the people who love them. Most are for dogs or cats or their owners but occasionally we get a request that makes us smile. Some day I'll tell you about the one we made for a Ferret.
Give your pet a big hug!
Marie

Tea For Two Or Just For You!

I loved coffee. I would drink pots of the rich, delicious liquid every day. A treat for me was a trip to the new Starbucks in town for a Grande. Forget the biscotte or other sweet bakery treats offered as an afternoon boost. Give me a tall, hot cup of coffee!

Not today. Today I'll still enjoy a cup of coffee after a dinner out, or a breakfast meeting, but today my drink of choice is tea. In my Gift Basket shop I carry an assortment of teas as part of my inventory and I like to taste test the product I sell. I especially like to test chocolates and cookies, and I let my husband test the salsas and bar-b-que sauces. My dogs love to test the dog cookies and new toys! Anyway, I started testing the variety of teas I was offering and found that I really enjoyed the green teas and the white teas.

We have a local tea blender, The Tea Guys where I get some really exciting teas. Being from Massachusetts, and featuring many designs themed for Cape Cod, I use a lot of their Cranberry Harvest tea. It really captures the sweet-tangy taste associated with cranberries.

I find drinking a warm mug of tea sooths my spirit so I use teas in many of our bereavement and get well gift baskets. I'll often choose a green tea or fruit tea to compliment a gift basket filled some short breads and butter cookies while I'll use a stronger breakfast tea or Earl Gray with heartier fare such as pancake mix and locally produced maple syrup. No matter what teas I use, we top our cello wrapped gift baskets with beautifully crafted, colorful bows.

So, the next time you are looking for a really great gift idea for the tea drinker in your life, you'll find a great selection at http://www.laurelmtbasket.com/ . We're working on our 2009 line of gift baskets for Mother's Day. Be sure to check them out while your there.

Thanks

Marie

Great Valentine Gift Baskets For Him

Looking for a unique Valentine's Day gift for your guy? A gift basket filled with great not so gourmet "guy" food is the perfect solution. Does he love fishing? Fill a tackle box with jars of salsa, chips, mixed nuts, some cheese and crackers, and watch him smile.
Does he love golf or his new truck, fixing things around the house or doing yard work? Custom design a gift basket using a golf ball bucket filled with his favorite treats and a box of his favorite golf balls. Fill a gallon bucket with car wash soap, wax, a sponge and drying cloth. Make sure you leave plenty of room for the "not so gourmet" treats he'll enjoy while washing and waxing the day away.
Creating a gift basket for your special guy is fun and easy. Don't have time? Check out the great selection of gift baskets for him at Laurel Mountain Basket Company including our "Hot Stuff" Gift Basket pictured above. This custom designed gift basket includes salsa and hot bar-b-que sauce, cheese, crackers, and other guy lovin' foods, more than lives up to it's name

All The Treats That Are Fit To Eat!

This morning I read a blog that got me thinking about all of the different kinds of items that go into gift baskets. The author wrote about how much she loved the office breakroom after the holidays because coworkers will bring in items from gift baskets they received.
I think it's great to share. I received a big box of chocolates from my mother in law this Christmas. I love chocolates, and I know I would eat the whole box in short order and regret it soon after. So, I had a couple or three or four and brought the rest in to the Studio to share with customers and the crew.
But, as I said, the blog got me thinking about gift baskets that I have seen and that my family has received, that contained foods we had no interest in ! There were "weird" foods I couldn't imagine who would want to eat.
I include some "interesting" food products in my gift baskets. A couple of examples are Cape Cod's Caviar by Appalachian Naturals and Bog Frogs by Cape Cod Provisions, LLC. Cape Cod's Caviar is a delicious organic cranberry sauce and Bog Frogs are a yummy cranberry, cashew, and caramel chocolate covered candy. The names just happen to be unusual.
When I was forming my business plan for Laurel Mountain Basket Company I vowed not to include items in my gift baskets that I personally wouldn't enjoy receiving. Because I am not a big fan of spicy foods, I make my husband taste test the salsa, salad dressings, mustards and such while I concentrate on the chocolates and cookies. Our dogs even test the dog treats and toys we use in our pet gift baskets! Taste testing new product is one activity that I don't have trouble recruiting help for.
My husband likes to sample the inventory so much that I am afraid to leave him in the Studio for very long unsupervised. He really loved it when I was operating the business out of the house because there was always a great supply of great snack food within walking distance of his recliner and remote. He especially likes the Ghiraradelli and Guylian chocolates, and Brent & Sam's and Nonni's cookies.
In addition to using these fine gourmet foods, we've searched out many excellent locally made products from companies like The Tea Guys, Terra Americana, and The Little House of Thyme to give our gift baskets that New England flavor.
At Laurel Mountain Basket Company our gift baskets are designed in good taste and designed to taste good.

Laurel Mountain Cupboard

I'm often asked where I get all of the wonderful products we use in our gift baskets. Although we design gift baskets for all occasions and themes, we are known through out the US for our New England style gift baskets. I believe one of the reasons they are so popular is that we work with a number of small local vendors. Having access to so many sources means that we always have a wide variety of items to choose from. I am always looking for new vendors from our local area or from around New England to add to our list.

I found my local honey supplier when a man approached me in the parking lot of a grocery store. (I have signs with the Laurel Mountain Basket Company logo and contact information on the front doors and tailgate). He is involved with a local apiary association and recommended a really fine apiary not two miles from my home. It is a small operation so I wasn't surprised I had not heard of them but their honey is fantastic!

I was recently asked by a client to custom design a breakfast gift basket . He had seen the one on our site but he needed one for a group of 20 to 30 people and he wanted us to use products from all six New England states. The challenge was to find product that was ready to eat since the gift basket would be presented at a morning breakfast meeting of corporate executives. We contacted a local bakery (one of my personal favorites) to provide fresh breads and muffins then set out to find several different jams, jellies and honeys, as well as fresh roasted coffee, blended tea (check out our friends at www.teaguys.com if you want some really excellent tea!)and other items like cheeses and salsas. It goes without saying that all of the products we use at Laurel Mountain Basket Company have to be delicious, but we require that they have a nice presentation too. Our gift baskets are a reflection on our clients and our job is to help our clients make a great impression.

I found so many wonderful new products while designing that gift basket that I decided to add an new element to Laurel Mountain Basket Company . We will be stocking our Studio with many of the locally made products that we use in our gift baskets and make them available to our clients. A couple of jars of jelly or a small jar of honey and a canister of tea make a great little gift. So, stop by and check out the cupboard!

Happy New Year,
Marie

Ready, Set,Shop!

Shopping during the Holiday Season can be quite stressful. Crowded stores, limited time, and limited money, are all factors contributing to a stressful shopping experience. Here are a couple of tips to make Holiday shopping more enjoyable.

Plan ahead. Planning ahead is one way to limit the amount of stress brought on by shopping during the Holidays. Start by making lists. Make a list of people who you want to buy gifts for and determine how much money you are going to spend on each gift. Next, write down one or two gift ideas that fall within the pre determined price range next to each name.
Start your Holiday shopping early and plan to shop on more than one occasion if at all possible. By starting early and knowing you don't have to buy everything on your list that day, you will have a better chance of finding the gift you want at the price you can afford. If you wait until the last minute, you may find yourself spending more for a particular item or spending money on a gift simply to have "something" to give because you have run out of time. Spending more than your budget allows will certainly add stress to the Holiday Season and beyond.

Finding the "perfect" gift for that "hard to buy for" individual can create a lot of stress. The way to avoid this type of stress is to realize that you can't please everyone. Simply select a "nice" gift that is within your budget and be done with it.

Gift baskets are wonderful gifts for "hard to shop for" people. At Laurel Mountain Basket Company, we have a large selection of gift baskets designed for every occasion and we work with our clients to help them select ones that are appropriate to their needs.

A Little Taste of New England

I love New England. To me it's not a place so much as a state of mind. So when I started Laurel Mountain Gift Basket Company almost 10 years ago, I created gift baskets that reflected the tastes and the people of New England. I sought out local artisans, farmers, chocolatiers, herb growers and sugar house operators, and developed a line of gift baskets made up almost entirely of locally produced goods.

Our line of New England Gift Baskets has been very successful, and as we discovered new products, we were able to increase the number of designs we could offer. So I was really excited when I discovered Appalachian Naturals a producer of all natural, certified organic foods made from ingredients grown on small New England farms. Now we will be able to add a line of all natural and organic products like their Veracruz Salsas and Cape Cod Caviar to our own New England gift baskets!

From Cape Cod to the Berkshires, from Maine to Rhode Island, we bring the taste of New England to where ever you are!

The Best Dogs In The Universe

I tell my dogs daily that I am very lucky because when I went looking to adopt a dog, I got the best dogs in the Universe. Okay, so I tell little white lies occasionally but you have to understand that their "universe" is rather small.
When we lost our Boarder Collie mix Cassie, my husband was lobbying for two dogs. We work all day and he felt that they could keep each other company. Great in theory but you've heard the expression "two can live as cheaply as one" well, "raising two dogs is as easy as raising one" is just as true. Also, I knew that I would be the one who would be doing 90% of the work, taking them to obedience classes, buying the food, visiting the vet, etc., etc., etc.
I have had a dog companion since I was in college. I've been lucky in that they have all been healthy and had long lives. Each of those four dogs has come from a shelter. So, we called F.A.C.E.S., Inc. in West Springfield, Ma. and arranged to see a litter of puppies they had. The home where the puppies were being cared for (F.A.C.E.S., Inc. is an all volunteer rescue and adoption service so the animals are kept in private homes) was about an hours drive from our house.

As soon as we entered the yard, a little black puppy came up to us. She was so beautiful and so cute, we both knew immediately that she was the dog for us. As I started making arrangements to sign the paperwork and write the check, my husband said, "Look over there. You have to see this other dog. The shy little guy in the corner." Somehow I just knew that if I looked, we would be signing paperwork for two dogs. Now I ask you, could you resist that face? I couldn't.

Two dogs rode home in the cabin of a pick up truck with us that day. Ten years later we are still one big happy family. Our cute little puppies have grown into two beautiful dogs and I've never regretted looking at the shy little guy in the corner and agreeing that we really did need two dogs.

Because we adopted our "best dogs in the Universe" from F.A.C.E.S., Inc. our company, Laurel Mountain Basket Company, donates a portion from the sale of every dog gift basket and dog gift to that organization. Please visit our site, and know that if you purchase one of our beautiful gift baskets, you will not only be giving a favorite pet or pet owner a great gift, you will be helping a wonderful organization.

Back To School

It's back to school time. We live in an area where there are dozens of colleges and universities, including Smith College, one of the oldest and most prestigious women's colleges in the country.

I grew up in the town where Sophia Smith, the founder, lived and I attended another school she founded, Smith Academy (photo is of the original Smith Academy building). Although I had the opportunity to attend Smith College, I didn't want to go to college close to home so I went all the way up to New Hampshire and attended Franklin Pierce College instead.

Sophia Smith was the daughter of a farmer. She was the last of her immediately family, and upon her death at age 65, her inheritance was close to $400,000, a huge sum for 1870. She took the responsibility of her position very seriously and consulted with her pastor and advisers.

Sophia was very interested in education and education for women in particular. By the time she was 40, she was deaf and considered establishing a deaf-mute institution in Hatfield. However, when the Clarke School for the Deaf opened in Northampton in 1868 she put all of her energy into planning for a college for women.

She died in 1870 and Smith College admitted its first students, fourteen women, in 1875. Today, Smith has an endowment of approximately $800 million and the student body has grown to approximately 2,500 students per year.

Quite an accomplishment for the daughter of a farmer.

If you have a student attending Smith College, Mt. Holyoke, Hampshire or any of the other fine area schools, let me know. My company, Laurel Mountain Basket Company, has a line of gifts especially designed for students.

Marie

Storm Warning

Only last week a woman came into my studio to ask if I had a gift basket with an emergency kit theme. I showed her one I had designed for one of my realtor clients that contains, among other things, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. She was thinking more along the lines of a gift basket with items a person would need if they were in a bad storm or flood. That may seem like an odd request, but it happens. Ask anyone from New Orleans or Florida.

Or Whately, MA, my home town. On Saturday evening, Whately was hit by a Microburst. I'm sure there is a difference between a Tornado and a Microburst, but I don't think my neighbors with the crushed cars or houses really care.

I was getting ready to go to a friends' house for a Girls' Night Out party. It was raining, hard, and there was lots of thunder and lightening and one point, the power went out. The storm only lasted about 20 minutes then the sky cleared, and the sun was shining brightly, so I left to drive to my friend's house. Twice, within a half mile from my house, I had to drive around large branches that had fallen and were blocking part of the road. I didn't think much about the situation until I came upon a tree that had fallen across the entire road. More importantly, it had taken the power lines down with it. I guessed I had found the cause of our power outage.

But again, I didn't put any real significance to what I was seeing. I turned the car around and headed for one of the other roads that would take me out of town. I didn't get far. As soon as I turned onto the second road. I saw another large tree had fallen across the road, and farther up the road, three or four more very large trees had either been uprooted or had split.

There went Girls' Night Out! I returned home and told my husband about what I had seen. He went out to see if he could help with clearing some of the roads. One thing about small New England towns, almost everyone has a chain saw. Within a couple of hours, most of the roads were passable.

The next day, I decided to take the dogs and spend some time at the studio where we would have air conditioning, a microwave, and computer access. When I got home that afternoon, we took a drive to see the damage and take photos. The damage from the storm was amazing! Houses, cars, boats, garages, barns, fences, were crushed and there had to be hundreds of beautiful old trees down. Incredibly, no one was injured. Among all the devastation, the atmosphere was actually kind of festive. It seemed that everybody was outside. Probably because there was no power for the tv or computer! When I'd stop to take photos, I'd get into conversations with the home owners or other people from the area who came to take photos and share their stories of the storm. Even the police officer stationed at a dangerous intersection told me how the road had been burned when the power lines fell. The horizontal line in the lower right corner of the photo above is burned asphalt.

This storm taught me a few things. My dogs hate storms, they shake and hide under the bed. I call them my "early warning system". Well, from now on, I am going to take their "warnings" a little more seriously. I am also going to continue to make sure we are prepared. Lots of batteries, gallons of drinking water, a non-electric can opener and I'm going to buy a camp lamp that runs on a 9 volt battery. Reading by flashlight is not as fun as it once was.