Saturday, November 17, 2012

I'll Hook Ya Up

During Hurricane Sandy my son did all he could to take care of his family and his neighbors.

He hooked up 4 other homes and created a schedule where everyone could have enough power to cook and warm the house or charge their electronics.

The kitchen was power central.


Cords then went down to the basement for the sump pump and out the basement window for a neighbor behind us. More cords went out the kitchen window and across the street or over the fence to the house next door.


The guy across the street created a secondary hub and taped it to the trash can so that it wouldn't get pulled into the street and run over.



We also told people to far to reach by cords to come by to charge stuff or use our stove to cook something.

The generator itself is missing from the photos because twice a day Jeffrey would take it over to his friend's house in a nearby town so they too could do what we were doing. It was easier to take these photos when the generator was gone since the noise and smell are horrid.

A week after power came back my son said he thought he still smelled like gasoline.

Speaking of gasoline. During one of the long waits on a gasoline line my son and Hope (who loves going anywhere with Daddy) witnessed the start of a fight between two men over position in line. Just as it looked as though it was going to get ugly my son started to pull away so that Hope didn't have to see this side of folks. As he began to back up Hope shouted out of the window "That is just not nice. It is not nice at all. Do you know how to share?"

People in other cars started laughing at the two men and with Hope. They tooted their horns and gave her thumbs up while she smiled from ear to ear and waved.

Two guys walked away with heads down.

I'm proud of my boy and his girl.

29 comments:

DJan said...

Both of these stories are wonderful. But Hope, she is the light of the world and the future looks very bright indeed.

Granny Annie said...

Must be something in the name. Sounds like something our Hope would do. Just love your precious granddaughter.

Linda Reeder said...

These are the stories we need to hear! Wonderful stories! Stories of cooperation and sharing and caring and love - and Hope!
Thank you.

LL Cool Joe said...

Well good for Hope. Kids just tell it how it is! But wow how generous and kind of your son to help so many people. I doubt anyone around us here in the UK would do that. He is a credit to you!

Hilary said...

How I love everything about this. Hope generates her own light and warmth. Her Daddy raised her right. And his Mommy did likewise.

ellen abbott said...

kids know it and they call it when they see it. good for Hope.

and good for your son for being so generous and helpful. he's setting a fine example for all of us.

jaycoles@gmail.com said...

I love that you shared this. Bless Hope, she is wonderful. How does the saying go? "Out of the mouths of babes."? Children have no guile. I really hope things are getting back to normal (whatever that is) for you. Hugs to everyone

Sylvia K said...

Oh, yes! Thank you for sharing this!! I love it and it is SO Hope, who obviously gets it from her Dad as well as her Grandma!! So good to hear the positive things about people under these circumstances!! Have a great weekend, Dianne!

Rambling Woods said...

Out of the mouths of babes...Of course your son is awesome..you raised him...love you...

Mike said...

Hopes' shout out would have been a viral video for sure had it been caught.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

You all are the HERO'S of "Sandy"....Particularly your dear son! BRAVO to him...And BRAVA to the wonderful caring HOPE!!!
Great Great Story, my dear...!

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

SHARE? But that would mean less for ME!!

Good for Hope!! :)

Cherie said...

More of us should say that, "That is just not nice. It is not nice at all." Yay, Hope! :)

Anonymous said...

Wonderful! I am proud of them, too, and thank you for sharing this with us. All of the cords! Good work.

Akelamalu said...

What a great neighbour your son is! And Hope is a wise little girl - good for her!

Jackie said...

You can be so proud of both of them - I see a lot of you in them :) That post brought tears to my eyes.

Lowell said...

Kudos to your son and his daughter...what a wonderful story and you should be very proud!

HermanTurnip said...

It's all about helping the neighbors. If things in California ever get nasty (I'm thinking of earthquakes), I can only hope that we manage to pull together like you guys are. This is commendable! Kudos to you guys!

Daryl said...

she is so special (poo poo poo) that I actually got fa-klempt reading this .. xoxo

Jeni said...

Oh Dianne! God bless Hope for having the good sense to see what was going on and understand the cause too -selfishness! Out of the mouths of babes comes the wisdom we should all be so fortunate to have!

LindyLouMac said...

It is wonderful to hear stories of everyone pulling together as neighbours after the disaster.

Salllie (FullTime-Life) said...

No wonder Hope already knows to stand up for what's right! She's been taught by the best -- dad and grandma! You have every right to be proud of them (and I bet the neighbors all love you guys even more than ever!)

Ellen Whyte said...

LOL, that is fun! Good for Hope!

TexWisGirl said...

God bless the innocence and honesty of a child!

congrats on ANOTHER POTW this week!

Anonymous said...

Well done Hope - what a lovely story!

Ivanhoe said...

You guys are such a good peeps! No wonder Hope acts like she does. It's the good genes :)
Thinking about you and hoping it's getting better.
Hugs from Ohio,
I.

Jeff B said...

You and your son are the type of neighbors everyone wishes they had. This generous spirit is exactly what this country/world could use more of.

Glad to know you're doing ok all things considered.

BTW- Nice to "see" you again.

Reb said...

You have every reason to be proud of your son and his girl!

Jenn Jilks said...

Wonderful kid!
We lived 10 days without power in Ice Storm '98. It was tough.