Last Night on the Back Porch
Yesterday morning I drove my wife, daughter and myself out for a round of doctor appointments. After a bite I dropped the Mrs. and daughter off at the apartment and went on my merry way to work. As I drove into the complex, I found myself temporarily stuck betwixt two firetrucks - I pulled aside and allowed the one behind me to pass.
As I left for work, I had no idea that the firetrucks had come to put out a fire in an electrical generator that had blown up. I had just dropped my wife and daughter off at a home that had no electricity, air conditioning, hot water, phone, TV etc.
Allisyn eventually made her way to a phone and called to tell me what was up. I worked out my shift and got home as soon as I could. We went to a Chinese Buffet specifically as there would be no pressure on us to leave. We had heard the power would be back about 7, but I decided to give them extra time. Nonetheless, when we rolled in at about 8:30 there was still no power. The hot water in the building was already gone, so I couldn't take a shower (the reader might be able to take a cold shower, but I can't stand it.) I couldn't find the corded phone which we bought after the last blackout. I couldn't find a working flashlight. We lit candles and listened to the classical station on a battery-operated radio.
By 10:15 Allisyn was practically begging me to check us into a hotel, but I didn't want to spend the money. Right outside the window there was a gas generator that was toiling away; those things are incredibly LOUD. I closed the window, which did not shut out the sound entirely but cut it down somewhat, although it caused the temperature in the room to rise significantly. I settled down to a night of hot, but hopefully uninterrupted sleep.
Just as I was on the brink of passing out, the power came on - this was at 11:15. I rushed around, reset the clock, switching off lights, turned off the TV and other stuff. I went back to bed, but couldn't sleep now because the generator was still grinding away. That finally shut off at 11:47. At a little before 12:00, just as I was on the brink of sleep again, someone pulled into the parking lot with that "boom boom in their car." Rather than shut that crap off, they sat there a minute with the boom still going. By now I was tired and good and cranky.
At 12:00 the alarm went off - I had reset the time, but not the alarm, which went off at the default time of 12:00. I stopped it and reset it, but in the process I accidentally touched the "Snooze" button, and the alarm went off again at 12:09. I settled down again afterward, this time finally dropping off to sleep for what I'd hoped was the end of the night.
But that is not the end of this tale. At 2:00 AM I was awakened by a tiny sound "beep beep....beep beep....beep beep." I couldn't believe it, and also couldn't figure out why it was happening and where it was coming from. It was our bedroom phone; I had unplugged it from the wall earlier as it was of no use to us and now the battery was dying, trying to alert me that it needed power...
I angrily grabbed the phone and shoved it down into a basket of laundry. That is when I finally got the remaining night hours to sleep - my alarm rings at 7:15 AM.
I recount this as it reminds me a little of the back porch scene in W.C. Fields' "It's a Gift." No nosy neighbors, late night insurance salesmen nor evil toddlers wielding grapes and icepicks in my case though - just the "conveniences" I surround myself with taking their nocturnal revenge upon me.
There is a lot more to talk about tonight, but it will have to wait. I'm going to bed - I think you'll understand.
Uncle Dave Lewis