Wednesday, April 29, 2009

In The Dark

Windblown and scattered. It is amazing that one tree can bring down a whole town's electrical grid.



Finally after packing boxes and cleaning up the kitchen I stepped into the shower. The water was warm and soothing and I had just poured a cup full of vinegar in my hair when everything went black. I stood there frozen for a moment waiting for the light. Nothing. Not a sound, not a glimmer just darkness. I finished rinsing my hair and grabbed a towel. Then I heard a pop and the whir of the printer and the television trying to start up again. Out of the bath I ran toward the kitchen table where our make-shift work area is set up. Then pop out it went again. I started unplugging appliances one by one frantic to make sure they did not receive a power spike.
It's dark and I'm scared.

Vuuum, whirr, the printer tried to start up once again before I grabbed the plug then it stopped. I ran to the window and looked out over the neighbor’s ginormous house that is normally lit up like a Christmas tree. It too was dark. There are no lights in the bathroom so I scrounged for a candle and a lighter which I found one but not the other. The candle did me no good without fire. I am not survivor man. I am not able to rub two sticks together and produce a roaring fire and cook cat poop tea. I am at a loss. I returned to a dark shower and felt my way through the rest of my morning routine.

The wind was whipping outside and the tall pines were swaying dangerously to and fro. I sat wet headed and impotent. I could not run my computer and peruse the web. I could not watch one of the five million news channels and find out if the swine flu had reached the moon yet. I grabbed my coffee and took a sip only to swallow room temperature café au lait.

This is the repair crew.
What is a mountain woman to do? I am sure a REAL mountain woman would have gathered enough pine straw and deer poop to get a flame going. She would have built a roaring fire in the fireplace and then lit her candles from there. Then she would have roasted her freshly obtained 50 lb trout that she had caught with her bare hands from the frozen lake.

Could you reach in and grab one for me?

I am no mountain woman. I am a survivor. I drove to the next town and got a coffee and spent my time in the book store.

That is how I survive.


Did I mention it was daytime?

9 comments:

The Texas Woman said...

Just so you know, I read this with a butter-sugar sandwich in one hand and a diet cola in the other. I have now adopted your next to the last line:

That is how I survive.

The Texas Woman

Luke said...

I like how the fire truck is out there...first responders to administer CPR to the ailing tree?

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I think we need to enroll in some kind of survival courses. This happened to me one morning right when I was headed out of the door to go to work.

I couldn't open the garage, no electricity. I found out when I called in that there is a pull string that will open the garage door manually. I tromped back out there...at 4'-11 and a ladder hung up near the ceiling (thanks honey)that I couldn't reach either I was stuck. No Cowgirl coffee for me.

Gladys said...

Cher, Your torturing me with your dadblamed sugar snadwhich.

Luke not only was there fire trucks but there was also an ambulance and paramedics lending aide to the fallen tree. It was the most excitement this little town has seen since the guy shot the bear in the ass with a BB Gun.

Katherine - Now see I would have been stuck too had I had a garage.

rachaelgking said...

Um, you definitely need to make your comment from yesterday re: the chiggers into a whole post... yes, yes you do.

Suzy said...

Why are you trying to make a salad with your hair? You at least knew to pull the cords out. We had a big storm last year and even with 2 surge protectors, it blew out the VHS on my dual VHS/DVD player on a $1200 TV. I was not happy.

Jean Martha said...

Love it!! I'd have a cup of tea and a handful of magazines.

Gladys said...

Lilu - Just for you baby. Just for you.

Suzy - Um, I have naturally Rosanne Rosannadanna hair. If I rinse it with vinegar I only look vaguely like Rosanne. That and Seven Seas Dressing really gets Kahuna hot.

Renovation Therapy - That is what I did. I sat and read every magazine I could get my hands on and I drank coffee. My hair was still wet.

Staci said...

Last time that happened here (power goes out) I went to the ice cream store. Strangely enough, the firemen were having ice cream too....