“How ya Doin’?” he asked. “Terrible!” Was the Reply

I took a trip to the dump today, loaded up with the entire contents of our home’s refrigerator and freezer, all good food that had spoiled due to the power outage. Ugh, the contents stunk and I had to stick them into those mandatory orange bags that cost $3 each. I heard two men talking up next to the recycling dumpsters.

“How ya doing?” one old guy asked the other. “Terrible! How’s that for an answer,” the other equally crotchety man replied. Yeah, that about sums this whole no electric power, no heat no shower situation we are all faced with. Frankly, it sucks. There might have been a little fun involved the first day or two, but now, well now we’re all getting cranky. My friend Joe the webmaster from Ghana admitted that for the first time in years he cracked open a book. He read it by candlelight. So I guess you could say that’s a good thing.

I came home to see wires severed and the cable lines strewn across our narrow street. Even though our road has power, with these wires down and the meter dangling off the house, there was no turning on our juice. So my cheerful housemates, Kate and Francisco, are grilling chicken, cooking on the gas grill, and using a bagful of candles and a lantern to survive. And our trusty woodstove which thankfully heats up the whole house. Francisco was glad when he pointed to the outdoor street light, it shines up the whole living room, you can notice it a lot more when there are no other lights on inside.

Me? I am leaving, again. I was reminded that my trips to warm places frequently fall on times of snowstorms or other calamities. Sorry, I’m flying to Maui tomorrow. But I will be here in spirit, and if they need me, my checkbook will come in handy to pay that electrician.