It's been another set of frustrating days. Two nights ago we had a nor'easter blow through. Lots of wind and rain, but no snow. Still, it was a hell of a nor'easter. We got pummelled with 65 m.p.h. winds from about 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. We lost the power at 10:30, got it back and lost it again at 3:00 a.m. for good. The little ones total freaked out when the house went silent and dark. It is amazing how much noise is in a house with the power on, even when asleep. The hum of the humidifier, the refrigerator, the closet lights used as night light, the banging of the heat and the furnace, even random sounds from the ice maker teep the house full of night time sounds. Once the house went silent, everyone woke up. It was a very long night after that.
The wind sounded like a freight train rolling by our bedroom windows. I was afraid the wind would knock down a tree onto the roof or a window would give way and shatter. I just read that the wind gusts were up to 91 m.p.h. in our area. We were lucky. When we woke up, it was a mess of downed trees and branches and large areas of flooding water, mostly on the neighbors' property. Many roads were closed and most of the surrounding towns were also without power. An update from the town via email states that we are not likely to get our power back for up to a week.
It is amazing how everything comes to a standstill without power. No coffee to wake up, no t.v. to check the news, so how do we start the day?! The temperature dropped 5 degrees in the 5 hours since the power quit. I automatically reach for the light switch or the "on" button while moving around the house. It feels silly because I know that the power is out, but it is just that, automatic. I used to roll my eyes at the parents who strictly monitored the time the kids spent in front of the t.v. Now that there is no t.v., the kids don't know what to do with themselves. I now know it is time to get out the timer and stick with it.
I started thinking about the pioneers who settled the plains. I can't imagine the fortitude of moving into the unknown and starting from nothing. Park the wagon, dig a ditch, build a shelter, start a fire, carry water and start living. Whoa. I can't even figure out how to get myself a bowl of cereal in the dark. Between losing the water earlier in the month and now the power, someone out there is trying to teach me a lesson in humility. I'm getting it. I'm grateful to the modern conveniences of my time. But somehow, with all of these, I'm seeing the price we are paying. The technology we rely upon leaves us hostage. We are no longer self reliant. It is virtually impossible to function without pushing buttons and turning faucets. Left to our own devices, most of us would have a hard time surviving.
With that in mind, when I make my way home, I will check in on my neighbors and make sure everyone is fairing the power outage in some sembalance of normalcy. For now, I am at my parent's house, a bit cramped, but much happier for the use of the internet, the ice maker and my electric toothbrush. I will return home only once my husband has installed a new $1,200 generator my father had to travel 100 miles north to obtain. The thought of being trapped in a 4,000 square foot house with 4 small boys and no power to run the wii has left me shivering under my mother's electric blanket. The other lesson I have learned through all this, is that I am a slave to technology. Aren't we all?
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