It's a heck of a thing to do without -- electricity, that is. We want to flip a switch, touch a button, or twist a knob and have the world at our fingertips. However, occasionally mother natures decides our egos are a bit to large and crashes trees into transformers.
What happens?
A very large pop, and then darkness. Well, at least, it's darkness if it's late at night.
From my profile, folks can see I'm a Texas gal and during the springtime here in the Lone Star State, the weather likes to rock and roll a bit. Last night was another rendition of an obnoxiously loud Rolling Stones concert.
As luck (or mother nature) would have it, the winds picked up for my neighborhood right at the tail of the storm and we went dark -- overnight and through part of today. Not long as these things go, but long enough to be a healthy dose of inconvenient.
Now, I could moan about all the things that I couldn't get done in the dark, but I'm a 'glass is half full' sort of girl. So here's a list of what you can't do and what to do instead:
Take notes! Yes, on paper. If the electricity is out you'll never get back to my blog.
No TV, Cable, Satelite, Video games means time to read another book in my stack.
Washing Machine doesn't fire up means no laundry.
Stove/Oven/Microwave won't turn on means NO COOKING!
No computer/Internet means time to write (okay, it's with pen and paper, but it still gets the job done).
No ceiling fans whiring means picnic lunches on the breeze-cooled backporch.
No A/C means all the windows open and a breeze strong enough to kick around the dust and hopefully carry some of it off.
No hot water means no dish-washing.
Automatic garage door won't raise means I go in and out the front door like I actually own the joint.
No TVs left blaring in now-empty rooms means more quiet.
No TVs means I didn't have to listen to Sponge Bob for the 1000th time this week.
No alarm clocks . . . okay, this one is a little dicey. If I don't get the kids out the door to school then they'd stay home with me all day and that lovely silence I'm enjoying because there are no blaring TVs will disappear, so I did set the alarm on my cell phone.
No phone ringing, answering machine beeps, or fax whirling means more quiet.
As you can see, sometime being left in the dark (AND QUIET) is really a good thing.
Hope your Thursday was lovely. Mine was filled with all things non-electric and it turned out just fine.
Oh, one important tidbit for people who live in 'Tornado' Alley: when the sirens sound, DO NOT stand on your front lawn and look up at the sky. You'd think those sirens are designed to call folks to a free lunch or something the way houses empty up and down the block. Parents, kids, even the family dog stand on the front lawn and sky-gaze. Tornado sirens mean take cover.
That's it . . . all I have on safety tips for the night.
Happy writing, and ya'll come by the backporch anytime.
~Sandra
