Inconvenienced By Electricity

Twenty four hours without electricity puts things into perspective. It's cold and it's dark. This is a perspective that one could easily do without, however it does make one appreciate the mysteries and wonders of electricity all the more.

Tuesday afternoon our area was swept by a huge windstorm. Port Angeles was largely uneffected, but Sequim lost power for a few hours, there was slushy snow in Port Townsend and out where I live, the power was out for twenty four hours. Later we were to learn that a tree had blown down and into the local power substation causing considerable damage and considerable inconvenience.

That evening, after work, I turned on to the little road that leads to Mysterioso Manor only to find that further progress was impeded by the presence of a sheriff's car blocking the road with lights flashing. A tree had fallen down in the wind, taking apowerline with it. The utility people were coming, but when was anyone's guess. Such was the information we learned fromt he sheriff. Had I but known I would have stayed in twon, gone to Michael's and had a restorative cocktail or three. But I didn't know and so I debated waitng for who knew how long or returning to town. My debating was displaced by the arrival of the utility crew followed by a snow plow (!) A short while later we heard the noise of a chainsaw and thereafter we were allowed to continue on to our cold, dark homes.

The next day we awoke to find our homes still cold and dark. Very little hot water, no lights, no internet, no hot breakfast, no hot tea. These are the little things one misses when the power is out. And not forgetting that it is bone-numbing cold, too. My parents were invited to spend the mornign with a neighbor who has a fireplace, so they were able to get out of the cold. I went to work. Later in afternoon, twenty four hours after the power went out, the electricity was restored.