It has been a blockbuster month, August has. Barely out of the chute, this month brought the birth of our second beautiful granddaughter, who was in such a hurry to join us that she couldn't wait for a trip to the hospital. Born at home, Claire's entry into the world was quickly followed by the entrance of the Providence Fire Department and then, the ambulance crew that took her and her mom to the hospital. An hour old, and she had already made the acquaintance of two of the three groups of first responders in Providence.
Given succeeding weeks' events, that acquaintance might have been followed by additional encounters. In the next three weeks, young Claire experienced a rare east coast earthquake and the effects of Hurricane Irene, who hit Providence a glancing blow after her destructive route through New Jersey and New York. (No wonder Claire looks worried in some of her pictures!) Fortunately, neither of these events assumed the predicted magnitude, and Claire's main issue in her first few weeks was coping with an all-too-loving big sister, and the upset of having assorted grandparents underfoot, playing 'pass the baby' with far more frequency than is conducive to sleep.
On the home front here in Alexandria, August has exhibited a variety of weather faces: wet, wet with high winds, wet with warmth, wet with cool temps, and wet with more wet for days at a time. Early in September, we personally experienced 'wet without power' due to a cable break under our patio. We've met and become fast friends with Dominion Power crews as they de-bricked, jackhammered and dug with shovels through our back yard, searching for and repairing said cable--and then, kindly, efficiently, and expertly, restoring the original appearance of the surface, as well as our electrical power.
With all this hubbub, it's no wonder August disappeared in a puff of smoke, a gust of wind, or a brief, but emphatic storm. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled life.
