Friday, January 25, 2008

Dark Night

7:45 pm. Jeopardy was going to commercial. Next up was Double Jeopardy. The lights flickered. Then the went off for a couple of seconds and back on. Then darkness. The temperature outside was in the teens. We waited to hear the sirens. Usually when this happens someone ran into a pole. This time there was silence. The grocery store down the road was dark, so we knew we just didn't forget to pay the bill. LOL

So here we sat. The only light came from the screens of our laptop. In the dark, getting colder, no electricity and yet, we still could be on the web. It's a little of a mind boggler.

The candles and oil lamps were lit. The fragrances for 5 different candles melded into an interesting blend. It was a good smell. We called friends to see if they had power. Yep.

Time passed and still the batteries held in the laptops. Friends called to invite us to stay if the outage continues or just to come over for a drink. We were already in our pj's, so we declined the drinks, but kept the invitation to stay open.

Batteries started to die. So long outside world.

DH starts calling the power board. That is what they said to do on their website. "Call us if you are experiencing an outage." They don't say anyone will answer. The oil lamp came a little closer and the knitting was pulled out.

Here we sat listening to the power board tell us they are experiencing a high volume of calls, knitting continuing and it's getting colder.

Finally a real person answers. No, they don't know when the power will be restored. They are working very hard.

10 or 15 minutes later light flooded the room, the TV showed a commercial, and the blessed sound of the furnace blower filled the air.

All in all, it was a pretty good night. And we were in much better shape than those power board workers out in the cold. Thanks guys and gals. You did good. Now can you do something about your answering service?

2 comments:

Dan Smith said...

I kinda like an occasional power outage - as long as it's not for long. They provide some rare opportunities for all the senses.

Your ears are reacquainted what 'quiet' really is. Your eyes get a break from the glare and the treat of seeing your home (and your honey) transformed, in the soft and cozy glow of a few dancing flames. And your nose get the treat of that "interesting blend" of scented candles and oil lamps.

I did miss the internet during our last power outage. It made realize just how important that utility has become.

Glad it didn't outlast it's welcome for you - especially on such a cold night!

Granny Sue said...

It used to be that every time a bird landed on the line, the power went out. Or so it seemed. The outages are less frequent now, which makes them more difficult because we're not in the constant state of readiness we once maintained. I'm grateful for the wood stove, though--it heats no matter what happens, if of course we keep hauling in the wood!

I'm glad your outage was not too long. Did you get to see the end of Jeopardy?