Electrified again

Our power was out this morning for an hour and a half. Having the power out is always, for me at least, a lesson in patience and asking God to calm my spirit. You may think that is silly but it is what it is. I want that power back on NOW!!

Our house may be a tad different from yours. We have a well and a nyatic septic system. When the power is out we don't have water, because the well pump is powered by electricity. And, when we are without power we can't introduce any water into the septic system. I can tell you, if you know that you can't flush the toilet until the power comes back on the first thing you are going to think is, "Boy, I REALLY have to go to the bathroom." It happens every time. In order for you to understand why we can't put water (or anything else for that matter) into the system I would have to write a long description of what a nyatic system is. I don't want to do that and I can guarantee you wouldn't care (I wouldn't if I were you, I can feel my eyes glazing over at the thought). We can't even use our land line phones because the system that we have is electrically based. Thank goodness for cell phones.

Having the power out is inconvenient at the very least. I can always find something to do but it seems that on those occasions what I want to do involves something that requires electricity. Scrapbook? Nope, I need light to see what I am doing. Cooking? Nope, I have gas appliances but they have electric lighters so I am still screwed. Laundry? You must be joking. Heck, I couldn't even go and work out. Electric garage door opener remember. Yes, I know I could open the door manually but I am basically a lazy person. So, I am "forced" to knit and read until the lights on on. Darn.

Whenever the power goes off I have to fight the urge to immediately run and call the electric company to demand that they give me an estimated time that the juice will be back on. I managed to wait 45 minutes this time before I dug out the number to call. Of course that is also a frustrating experience as you enter the telephone tree hell. Then they put you on hold with the lovely music and the soothing message every 30 seconds or so that tells you that all the operators are currently still busy with other customers but to please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it was received. Once you are in that "line" you are stuck. You can't hang up if you want answers and so you just stay on, endlessly.

I will say, however, that it is interesting to sit in your house when there is no power. Every house has a certain "hum" that goes on at a low level 24/7. There is the frig and freezer that cycle on and off, the low hum of the fluorescent light bulb in the kitchen. All the little things, powered by electricity, that give off that "this house is alive" sound. When there is no electricity then it is amazing what you can hear. The cats running in the upstairs hallway (well, I can hear that anyways because they are both such porkers that it thunders when they run), the ticking of my cukoo clock and grandfather clock, the birds outside, the dog doing whatever dogs do. The house is silent and still, just waiting until the electricity comes back on and everything starts to hum again.

Wow, the electricity came back on just as I wrote out that last sentence. Creepy. OK, I am going to take a shower now, a nice hot shower with the radio blaring and all the lights on. I am such a rampant consumer.