What a Week! Power Outages and Hunting for Internet

Like many, we are still without power from the June 2023 wind storm. We’re on Day 5. Thankfully, our duplex was not damaged. We have some large tree limbs in the side yard that need cutting, but nothing too bad. And I needed to buy groceries last weekend anyway, so we didn’t lose too much food. Whew.

It’s been nice to see the Tulsa community come together this past week, too. Obviously, all the people who are working to restore power are amazing! And I love seeing what local businesses and organizations are doing to help out. And oh, I just saw a post about Nordaggio’s being kind enough to let Topeca use their coffee roasting equipment this week. So nice!

Here are some things we’ve been grateful for the past week:

1. Mother Road Market

Mother Road Market opened on Monday afternoon, a day they’re usually closed. Our family had been camped out at a coffee shop downtown, which had power but limited internet, when we saw their announcement on Instagram. So we headed to Mother Road Market, which was full of power, wi-fi, and even food! 😀 (Joss made me put that smiley face in.) It was nice and quiet, as most people probably didn’t expect them to be open on a Monday – or were busy with yardwork, etc.

It was the perfect place to hang out for a couple hours and get some work done. We ended up going back on Tuesday, which was a little busier, but still managed to plug in. Joss even walked to the counter and ordered his own sushi meal!

2. Central Library

Hooray for libraries! Free wi-fi, and plenty of things for kids to do. We went to Central Library twice. The first time, Joss found a school friend and did a scavenger hunt. The second time, he read several books and then figured out how to use his library card for the computers. I’m proud of him because he had to ask the librarian for help, which he did all by himself.

Some of the library branches were without power for awhile, but it was a good reminder of what a great resource our library system is!

3. et.al Tulsa

I already wrote a whole post about et.al’s Dumpling Night. This week, in lieu of Dumpling Night, they hosted a donation-based Apocalypse Block Party. As always, the food was creative and delicious! I enjoyed having something to look forward to in the middle of this week.

4. Good neighbors

This week offered a chance to connect/re-connect with neighbors. We met some new neighbors while walking around after the storm. And our duplex neighbors lent us a bright light, which was so nice! Also a battery-based charger when they finally decided to head toward more electrified pastures on Wednesday. They also helped us (OK, they did ALL the work) move the giant tree branches from behind my car and gave us some yummy food. Thank you!!

5. Joss (Of course!)

I’m always grateful for Joss! But I’m especially grateful for how flexible he was this week. We went to five different places on Tuesday, and he didn’t complain. In general, he hasn’t complained much. This was his week off of camp anyway, and I honestly think that it was easier than it would have been if I’d been working from home. At least this forced us to shake things up every couple of hours, so he had a change of scenery.

Joss reserving us a table at Starbucks

6. Pokemon Go

I’m actually working on a blog post all about Pokemon, which got put on hold this week. But Pokemon Go gave us a good excuse to get out of the house in the evening and go for a walk around the neighborhood. In particular, we walked over to Swan Lake and enjoyed the ducks, baby geese, turtles and other wildlife!

7. Other Good Things

Some other good community-oriented things we noticed this week were Food on the Move‘s Community Food & Resource Festival. They host these monthly anyway, but I’m sure it was particularly helpful this week! Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma hosted a free Cheeseburger Distribution evening on Wednesday. (Donate to their emergency fund at okfoodbank.org/emergency)

And Oklahoma Aquarium opened its doors on Monday for “Chill and Charge,” which they continued to offer all week. Kids were invited to take free carousel rides while their adults hung out in the great hall charging devices and enjoying AC. Similarly, Ihloff in Utica Square offered free coffee and power to anyone who needed it.

What good, community-oriented things did you notice this past week? Not going to lie, I’ve been very grumpy all week. So this is a little bit of “focusing on the positive.” And in general, we’re getting through everything pretty nicely. I hope you and your family and your homes stayed safe, and that power is restored – if not already, then soon!