It's pouring rain, thundering and lightning right now. And very dark. I love it. There's something about being cozy, warm and dry inside my home while a tempest blows all around me that gives me a very satisfying feeling of aliveness. Driving in a storm gives me the same feeling, only I'm a little more tense. The thought that I'm moving right along in my little cocoon untouched by the roaring elements outside strikes me as quite cool.Ooh! That was a huge lightning strike! Hope that awful, CO2-producing electricity doesn't get knocked out here.
This reminds me of a couple of summers ago, also on a Tuesday... Yikes! I just jumped a foot out of the chair and my ears are still ringing from that strike!!! All's well, but the lights are struggling. My carbon footprint may be drastically reduced any minute now...
Anyway, I was watching the storm out the back door that day because the winds were gusting to scary velocities. Huge trees were being shaken like reeds, the loud crack of major branches snapping off could be heard. Then the electricity went out. This was not unexpected considering the fury of the storm. What was unexpected was the duration with which we had to go without electricity. The outage was widespread - hundreds of thousands of homes. It was quite an adventure, like camping out in my own home, as I had to manage without electricity from that Tuesday afteroon until Friday afternoon. Walking around the neighborhood after the storm had passed was eerie - very dark and quiet, with debris strewn all over the yards and streets, making them nearly impassable.
Forced to quit my 16-hour work days on the PC, I decided to take advantage of this unplanned vacation. Went to the liquor store and bought the most expensive bottles of Tequila, Vodka and Scotch that I could find. During the days, I lounged at the neighbor's poolside, sipping on my liquid treasures, ice chest on hand with mixers, deli meats and cheeses for munching. I would stay awake through the nights, candles burning, playing the piano or reading, with Morticia* and Juliana** at my side, just in case anyone got the idea that homes without electricity meant homes without security.
I could have kissed the electric company guys when their truck rolled up the alley that late Friday afternoon to repair the line that had been snapped by a falling tree. They seemed happy enough though with just my sincere thank you and an offer of a cold drink - in my
* Remington 12 gauge
** Para-Ordnance .45
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