Please don’t turn out the lights any more
I know I’m not supposed to be obsessive about the weather, but what choice do I have. It seems that I’m doomed to live in winter. We are moving smoothly through our sixth month of snow. We now have as much as we did three weeks ago, despite the word “spring” on all the fashion flyers that end up in the newspaper box. In fact, today was downright unruly, and the day began with something strange and “off the wall”; a power failure.
I live in a land blessed with rivers that run all the time. The wisdom of our forefathers to construct huge dams and then pour the water through turbines should never be underestimated. But, the flicker that reset all the electric clocks just before dawn was subtle. I generally prepare a coffee before getting the day underway, so my cup was poured and the clocks reset when the lights went out again, and stayed that way. I have little experience with electrical failure, and that counts camping trips (converters and the van go so well together).
Now I know why a light in the refrigerator is so reassuring; it allows those who are only a little awake to eat safely. Feeding by touch is an acquired skill. I couldn’t hang around to see how long we could live without the ‘Net and news, so I left the others huddled in a dark, cool house. The heat was due to kick in right about the time it didn’t.
Of course, only blocks away all was bright and cheery despite the storm, so I didn’t fear for the others, but there was a faint hope that if our house could be dark, so could the office. Faint hope is over-rated.
Lesson for today; we aren’t ready to return to the ‘Dark Ages’ any time soon.
