If we’re not Facebook friends then you may not know that our power was out last night. For twelve. hours.
Have I mentioned that we live in the desert? And, um, AC? Powered by electricity. Of which we had none. For twelve. hours.
Things shut down right around 3 pm yesterday afternoon. It started with the midnight blue sky that I’ve come to love. And then there was the rumble of distant thunder–the flash of lightning bolts in the distance. The trees whipped to life in response to wild, monsoon winds.
Jayce and I sat by the window awaiting Cassidy’s bus.
“It’s windy out there, mommy.”
“Yes, it is. A storm is blowing in.”
“Yes,” he answered, having liked the sound of the words, “a storm is blowing in.”
As if on cue, the lights flickered. And then again once more.
Cassidy made it home just as the first fistful of plops fell from the sky. She made a run for the front door, hollering her daily “thank you!” to Mr. Lou, the bus driver, as she ran.
With her safely inside, the sky let loose an angry summer rain–gigantic pellets beating down.
What it was that claimed the pole I can’t say. But claimed it was–one massive power pole reduced to splinters.
Clearly, I couldn’t make dinner. So Mexican it was. As it always is. {Because I could eat Mexican 7 nights a week if need be}.
We came home to find our neighbors cloaked by the black of night. Luckily we’d thought ahead and left a candle in the garage. We had to scavenge the house for them. Summer time–it seems–isn’t candle burning season ’round these parts. Eventually though, we found enough nubs from last year’s fall stash to maneuver through our bedtime routine.
And so–with the house infused with the scent of pumpkin and maple–we made our way to bed {minus the covers}. It was so hot that I peeled off even my shirt, and slept in nothing but my skivvies. {I’m not really a skivvy sleeping kind of girl}.
I heard the AC groan to life at 3 am. Hallelujah.
There were casualties: some chicken breasts, the milk, and possibly the yoghurt (too soon to tell).
But it was an adventure nonetheless. One that gave Jayce the opportunity to come to the rescue with his Buzz flashlight–the only working flashlight in the house, believe it or not.
I’ll be shopping for both candles and batteries this weekend. ;)
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like memory-making to me.
My little nerd Annie had a really good time putting together our emergency kit. Don’t forget a wind-up weather radio! (or is it only in tornado country that we need those?)
Sounds like fun. Its always nice to have an excuse not to make dinner.
That seems like fun, but I’m glad you didn’t have to wait TOO long before the power came on. And I think your night by candlelight seems romantic! In Wisconsin, our power goes out at least once a year because of thunderstorms so we have back up generators. They’re pricey but worth it.
I love storms! The adventure of being without power for a few hours is fun too but not if it’s hot enough to need AC and not if it’s long enough to spoil my food! ugh! At least you got Mexican for supper ;) I’m with you on that one! I could eat it 7days a week!
UGH. At least it was only 12 hours. We lost electricity for FOUR DAYS one July a few years back. It was in the high 90s the whole week. Thought. I. Was. Going. To. Die.
Wow…what a day and night! But, as you said, what an adventure for little Jayce!
We have had several of these “adventures”! Every time we get a big storm our power goes out – although only for an hour or two at most usually. And Yay for Jayce being a hero!
Crazy. I can’t believe your power was out for that long.
Where did you end up going for dinner? I’m curious because we LOVE Mexican.
We came home from 3 weeks in LA to a broken AC. Atlanta is about 100 degrees in the summer. I had less than 36 hours to unpack, wash clothes and repack for a trip to Jamaica in a house that was 100 degrees. I was freaking out! Thank God the AC repair man came the next day….after I spent the day in the mall in the cool air.