A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke I don’t know about you but I now have fresh batteries in all the flashlights in the house and they are in handy spots that are easy to remember and get to. Not that they weren’t before last Tuesday’s storm and power outage. We’ve always had “the good flashlight” on top of a cupboard in the kitchen and it has always, more or less, had working batteries in it. I’ve tried to make sure that there are flashlights in or on each bedside table, not necessarily with batteries, fresh or ancient, in them. I’ve also almost always had candle sticks with candles and matches in the basement and in a drawer in the dining room. (I used to have my favorites on the table until I got sick of dusting them in all their curlicued detail.) We have a collection of tiny flashlights, too, that have been scattered throughout the house by tiny hands.  All that is history now. My family got it together on Wednesday to have everything handy for the future. And Wednesday’s forecast, with a tornado watch, was pretty unsettling but we were as ready as we could be. I will say that Gwen has all her emergency stuff in one spot so we were able to lay our hands on enough lights to get us by pretty quickly. Her camp stove, cookware and the coffee pot were also there and ready to go. Thankfully the power came back on the middle of the night and we didn’t need most of it. Thankfully, too, Wednesday’s possible storms passed us by. It looked like south of the village it got pretty ugly but I haven’t heard reports of damage. Tuesday evening, Gwen, Mildred, Scout the Wonder Dog and I had dinner in the basement. (Jim was doing manly things, I guess.) Gwen had run to Herbs, Spices and More for pizza quickly before they canceled for the night. After that I took to the streets to see what there was to see. As I and my neighbors touched base, sharing information and making sure everyone was ok, I was again reminded of how glad I am to live in a small town. Sharing is caring, they say, and this is a sharing, caring village. Then guys with chainsaws came out. My goodness how thrilled they looked. There was a gleam in every single one of their eyes that said this is what I live for. A man with a chainsaw is a wonderous site. Virile and kind of macho and ready to take on everything in their way. Apparently every man (possibly woman, although I don’t know for sure) in the neighborhood has a chainsaw because the noise was unbelievable. They teamed up to get the big stuff out of the way, then I think they started walking the streets looking for something new to tear into. I heard what sounded like the chink, clink, chink, of a chisel at 11 when I was going to bed. Thank goodness for men and their tools.  Even before the storm had passed emergency workers were out making our streets safe. Thank goodness for the fire and rescue, public works guys and police, Alliant Energy workers and guys with chainsaws who dropped whatever they were doing to get the power back on and get the debris cleaned up. Their dedication to doing the jobs they do is deeply appreciated. I don’t have much in the way of pictures to share because I didn’t think driving around taking them and getting in the way would be a good idea with so many emergency workers trying to get everything back on track.  I know at times I sound like a broken record saying how great it is that we all support each other. I also know that isn’t true all the time for all of us. I mean, small town people can get a little weird. Like everyone wants to know what your connection is to the community, are you from here, where did you go to school, who are your parents and grandparents, do you eat honey on your toast… all sorts of stuff that is funny and cute but at times maybe a little invasive and you want to ask what difference it makes. But where else in the world do you find people who are there in time of need for each other? Not any of the cities I’ve ever lived in. All those little things connect us and our connections are strong and good and thank god we’re here for each other.  The Home News has early deadlines coming up again. This time for Labor Day. All deadlines move up one business day making the deadline for news Friday, September 3, at 12 noon for the Wednesday, September 8 issue.  I’m glad we have each other. Hang in there. Stay in touch. My number is 574-3159. Email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com or write to me at the Home News, P.O. Box 39, Spring Green WI 53588.  Visit our website at homenewsrv.com Get in touch with Gwen for sports or features at homenewssports@newspubinc.com. If you need a display ad, Dave Pronold can be reached at homenewssales@newspubinc.com or by calling him on his cell at 588-4777. Display ads, or ads that are in boxes, are due by 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. The classified ad deadline is noon Thursdays the week prior to publication for both the Buyer’s Guide and Home News. Classified rates are $13 for the first 10 words, then 30¢ per word for each additional word. Call (608) 767-3655 or email classifieds@newspubinc.com  Legal notices are due by 2 p.m. on Fridays, email them to legals@newspubinc.com Call the NewsPub central office at (608) 767-3655 for subscriptions and all other information Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, although afternoon hours can vary. Closed Fridays.