We woke up this first day of December to wind gusting, house creaking, rain tapping. We arise before daylight at our house, and today there was just enough time for the coffee to brew before the lights flickered out, probably a tree down on the lines.
You think your house is dark at night, but when the power goes out, it is really dark, no microwave clock, no little green lights on the VCR or computer.
Buddy left for work, out to a world with electricity, leaving me standing there in the dark. Well, not total darkness, I had already lit all of our kerosene lanterns and had a flashlight in my hand. I called the power company with the one phone in the house that works without power, and got the automated line, "If your power is out, press 1." I remember the good old days when someone actually answered the phone, or better yet when we could call our neighbor down the road who worked at the power company. He is retired now, but before that, he changed his phone number and made it unlisted…
What to do now? On his way out the door, Buddy had said, "Go back to bed!" Mmm, that's a thought, and I even tried it, but I was already hyped up on coffee. What to do? I can't work (!), read, or sew. I laid there on the bed, listening to the sounds. I wonder what the rain will sound like on our new metal roof? I must have dozed off, because I woke to the familiar sound heralding the return of electricity at our house - the alarm system siren out at the workshop. It is a very irritating sound, but very welcome. I wonder if all the neighbors appreciate it as much as me?
