This is what NO ELECTRICITY looked like on Day 2 of the aftermath of Hurricane-reduced-to-Tropical Storm Irene here in Rhode Island…

Yep.  That’s Audrey hauling arms-ful of sleeping bags into our home on Monday night.

The pillows and all-important blankies would be hauled in next.

Barry and I supplied the sheets.

Oh, did I mention that our electricity popped back on early Monday morning?  That’s why there are glowing, golden, radiant, gorgeous, beautiful lights on in the background.

No such luck for Audrey and Matt.

This is what morning in our home looked like on Day 3 of NO ELECTRICITY for Audrey and Matt…

Yep.  That’s 4 sprawling boys wrapped in sleeping bags, blankies and sheets.

Now it’s DAY 4 of NO ELECTRICITY for Audrey & Matt and their 4 boys.

They were told this morning that their electricity will not be restored until September 5th.  SEPTEMBER 5th.  That’s next Monday.  MONDAY.

Audrey isn’t smiling any more about the NO ELECTRICITY thing.

She just doesn’t get it.  They live in a very residential area, surrounded by homes that did not lose electricity at all or that have been restored… like mine.  In less than 22 hours.

I get the grid thing.  I think.  I get the trees on lines thing.  I get that a ga-zillion people lost power.  I just don’t get why lines aren’t buried in the first place and all that technical electrical stuff that might prevent this kind of thing.  (Yes, I also get the EXPENSE of such an undertaking… but if I begin to count up all the $$$$ waste… no, I just can’t go there right now.)

And although Audrey and her family can stay forever in our home…

DAYS 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and possibly more have begun to sound really, really bad.

I get it.