Jan 30 – Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program

For the first time, Vectren reached into the organization, beyond field operation personnel for others to help with the restoration. Today I was able to go out in the community, as part of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program partnership between Vectren and the Red Cross. I went door-to-door to try to convince everyone without power to go to a shelter or stay with family.

We got some good reactions and some not so good. I wore a hardhat and neon vest. Initially I thought the hard hat was ridiculous, but after a falling piece of ice hit me in the arm, I didn't take it off until I was inside.

We went to a kind of rough place of Evansville, so I partnered up with a guy named Josh from the Call Center. It was a fun experience and I'm glad that I was able to participate.


A tree outside the Red Cross covered with ice


Vectrenites coordinating the program from the Red Cross headquarters


One of a few National Guard Hummers that went to go pick up people stranded in their homes without power

My door-to-door buddy, Josh. Doesn't he look like he could beat up anyone who came near us?

Jan 29 – Aftermath

Today was even worse to drive because we got more freezing rain and most of the snow had been plowed away, so there was no traction. I made it in to work just fine and it’s supposed to warm up this weekend to almost forty, so the ice should start to melt.

I went to a luncheon at UE today and the damage was really extensive. I guess I never paid much attention to how many trees there are on the campus. There were limbs down everywhere, not just little ones, but big branches just lying on the ground, resting on power lines, everywhere. The grounds guys had done a great job clearing the sidewalks, but there were just so many trees with damage.


Even though it made traveling conditions terrible, it was beautiful


Memorial Plaza at UE - all the trees were weighed down with ice and the trees almost touched my head while I was walking through


A power line taken all the way down to the ground by a limb

Jan 28 - Ice Storm

Well , the weathermen were right… kind of. The freezing rain didn’t start until 10pm when they said it would start at 6pm. We could hear it pelting against the apartment building and we knew it would be a task to scrap our cars off in the morning, and it was. There was about and inch and a half to two inches of ice on the cars this morning underneath a few inches of snow. They’re saying it was one of the worst storms of the decade.

There are about 75,000 Vectren customers out of service, about 50,000 of them in Evansville. Thankfully, we aren’t one of them and haven’t lost our power except for a brief flicker. To put it in perspective, there are about 130,000 people in Evansville, so over half are out of power.

I had scheduled a vacation day today, so I didn’t even try to go into the office. The Otters called and Kenton didn’t have to go in either. It was a fun day to spend inside. Eventually, later that evening we ventured out for a quick trip to the grocery store and it was deserted. There were very few people out on the road. It was a little tricky getting out of the unplowed complex, but after that, it was pretty smooth.


A truck trying to get out of the complex, having some trouble, spewing up snow


An inch of solid ice underneath five or six inches of snow


My license plate covered by icicles!

A SUV run up on the median on the Lloyd Expressway - this car had to do a 180 turn and go up on the median

Tree limbs were all over the campus, including at Neu Chapel

A power line weighed down to the ground by a broken tree

A tree absolutely weighed down by snow and mostly ice

Jan 18: Melodies for Martin

On Sunday Jan 18, the event Melodies for Martin happened in the Vectren atrium. It was a fund/friend-raising event that I was on the planning committee for benefiting Carver Community Organization. It is a really neat organization that has a long history in Evansville.

Carver provides services to all age groups - two of their most unique programs are: a senior care center which is for older adults with kids or grandkids who want them to be safe, but they don't need to be in nursing homes; and a late night day care open until 2am for working families who may be on 3rd shift at a manufacturing plant.

This was a jazz/brunch event and it went off pretty smoothly.

View of the Vectren atrium set up for the event.

For helping with the event planning, I got a pear and chocolate basket from Harry and David that was delicious!

Nov 2: Voting!

I forgot to put this blog in back in November... I went to vote for the first time! The first November I was 18, I was already at UE, so I voted absentee each year. This was the first time I actually went to the polls.

We decided to go early to our polling place (hence the very tired-looking Anna in the photo) to vote. The ballots were completely electronic, which was pretty neat.

The electronic ballot


Me, barely keeping my eyes open at 5:45am

Dec 21: Hargis Christmas

The Sunday before Christmas, we went to Kenton's parent's house and celebrated Christmas with his parents, his sister and her family, and his Grandma Essie. We ate Virginia ham that my parents gave Jim and Sheila earlier in the year which was perfect for Christmas lunch.

It was a lot of fun watching the kids open their gifts. Josh got an absurd number of presents - he probably opened 25 presents and was not bashful about showing them off for the camera!

Josh shows off the shovel we gave him

Erin opening her birthday present (it's Dec 26)

Grandma Essie opening the pet we gave her for company :)

Jim opening his portable gas heater from Erin, Jeff, Kenton and me

Josh showing off his new nunchuck skills

Alyssa with Sheila's reading glasses on

Josh and Alyssa with Tippie

Christmas Spirit

We had a lot going on this Christmas season, but it made it all the merrier.


Anna singing in the Living Christmas Tree at Bethel Temple Community Church. We had performances over two weekends and Anna had a mini solo in the toy soldier song. Very fun.
Anna's the third person from the right in the fifth row from the bottom.


Our first Christmas ornament (it's the back of a getaway car with a Christmas tree on top!)


Our first tree decked out with lights - it's about 4 feet tall and very plump

Anna baked a bunch of sweets including chocolocate covered pretzels with white drizzle, pecan brittle (pictured above), and peanut butter cups... yum!

The chain saw guy cutting down our first Christmas tree!

Us with our first tree!

Our tree getting shook by the machine to eliminate any loose needles

The Christmas season has been a fun one at the Hargis household!