Safe & Sound in Stormy California

This has been quite the entertaining week for this smalltown girl! First, I flew off to Kansas to see my grandson the day after Christmas. Seeing him after a year and a half was wonderful and the weather cooperated beautifully. We had tea parties and played with his new trains and trucks and snuggled as we read stories and watched cartoons. Then back to Cali, with only a few hours delay due to weather...and I'm lucky I made it at all! The night I got back home we had a little tequila party with our friends. Who knew that it would be our only New Year celebration?! The next morning brought 80 mph winds and the storm of the year. My parents live 15 miles away and had two of the neighbor's tall pine trees fall in their yard and across the road. A power pole balanced itself on another tree, making a precarious bridge across the road in front of their house. We made our way down a highway littered with fallen trees and an overflowing bay. There is no other way in or out of that outlying community. We stayed all day as PG&E removed the powerlines -- and all hope of power or phone for the next week. We brought in the new year playing cards by candlelight and drinking cocoa made on a campstove. But we were with our family, so everything looked a bit brighter. Shortly after returning home, our power was restored. Many roads are open now, but the main highways are mostly closed to the outside world. Today I will finish Dad's Socks. Only the toe decreases remain. On the plane I made some Voodoo wrist warmers. I don't know if I will make a second one in the red and black Cascade 220, but soon I will finish the second one in black Paton's Lacette. I like the fuzziness. I tried to start Mrs. B's, but the Lacette yarn will not work well for the main part, so I am searching for a nice fuzzy, soft yarn in black that is closer to worsted weight. I also have one dishcloth half done and another dishcloth KAL to start today. I am pleased to have so many small projects at hand. I find that knitting calms me when I am stressed. It occupies my mind and hands and keeps the worries at a distance. Today is a day for knitting. I hope it will be the start of a peaceful new year. Best wishes to all who read here for a Peaceful & Happy New Year.