CHARGE ME UP

The torrential wind whipped the water so intensely that you could not see across the street. Trees toppled and streets flooded. Then, all went dark. The rainsquall had somehow knocked off the electricity. I was sitting on the front porch to watch the tempest. The boulevard tree began to sway so I pushed the cats inside and moved away from the front of the house. Thankfully, it did not crash to the ground.

The storm continued to blow for another half an hour and hard rain continued before it was finally safe to venture outside. The beautiful 200-year-old (estimated) oak tree in the backyard stood strong despite losing a few small branches. My neighbors on the next street were not so fortunate. A tree fell and damaged a car. In fact, several trees blew over and there were a multitude of branches lying about the area on Friday, June 21st, 2013.

I checked on the neighbors and they were okay. My basement began to leak but all that I could do was mop since my fans and dehumidifier could not function. I located a flashlight and grabbed a book. I sat on the porch with the cats as darkness fell. Total darkness is a rarity in the urban setting. The only lights were candles and flashlights and occasional cars driving. A lot of sirens wailed probably due to injuries or fires caused by the storm.

Lack of electricity doesn’t bother me. I’ve spent time in the woods and rustic cabins. It is how our ancestors lived. Heck, my parents didn’t get electricity on the farm until they were five years old. I was only concerned about the food in the refrigerator. I had already made my monthly visit to the food-shelf and can’t afford to shop at the grocery store.

The lack of AC/DC created a shadowy quiet city. Occasionally, I would hear someone laugh, yell, or the drunken ramblings of neighbors having a party. I suppose that a lot of babies will be born in March 2014. I went to bed with the windows wide open to the breeze. I did not sleep well since I my CPAP machine requires current. Once in a while I would get up and look outside. The moon is nearly full but the lighting was murky due to the cloud cover. It would have been nice to gaze at the stars.

In the morning I called a friend and she offered to baby-sit my frozen food. I gathered up the most valuable provisions and drove to her home a couple miles away. She had only suffered a leaky window due to the storm. I went to the grocery store and purchased a large bag of ice. Drove home and unloaded the most valuable perishables from the fridge into the coolers. I literally had just closed the lid when the power resumed after an absence of almost fourteen hours. Blast it all! I was thrilled to have electricity coursing through the house, but irritated by the waste of time, gas, and money.

Watts of fun.
© Copyright 2013 Ima B. Musing: all rights reserved.