We're OK

Wow; little did I think that my birthday last Wednesday would usher in a "historic" snowfall and weather event here in Buffalo, which I'm sure you all know of by now. We JUST got our Internet access back.
I'll be writing more later, but Val and I are safe, add my mother, Sheila, is here with us in Elmwood Village on Buffalo's West Side. We never lost power or gas service here, but we did lose Internet access and cable television and, having Vonage telephone service, we lost that and had to use Val's cell phone. Let me tell you, we were damn lucky, because going without the Internet or cable television is nothing compared to losing electric and/or heat; it appears we were on the exact border/frontier of who kept power and who lost it. My mother, who lives in Depew, had telephone service, but that was it, so we brought her here yesterday. Val's mom, Janice, lost power, etc., in the Eggertsville part of Amherst, but she regained it last night.
Our house has suffered no structural damage and no flooding (yet), so we are like many others who had lots of damage to our trees, but nothing worse there, so again, we know how lucky we were when the neighborhood, like so many others, looks like a bomb went off here.
More later, but our prayers, hopes and good wishes go out to everyone affected by the latest storm.