Thursday afternoon John turned off the main breaker so that he could replace the over-the-sink kitchen light that had died. When he completed the task and went to throw the main breaker to restore power to the house. . .nothing happened. And continued not to happen. He put in a call to a retired electrician he knows. The future looked dark. Maybe till Monday. John headed for the store for more lamp oil and for kerosene for the generator. I took the lamps outside to await filling. And built a fire in the living room and the bedroom stoves.
No power. No water (we have a well with an electric pump.) No internet. And I had a Zoom meeting with my writing class at 6.
No worries. I joined the meeting by phone and my laptop had enough battery left that I could read my notes on the two pieces under discussion. It's actually quite pleasant, sitting around with just the fire and the lamplight. Of course, the next morning, there was reality--what about the refrigerator and the two freezers? We need to bring up water from the lower place for washing dishes and flushing. I need to charge my phone. How soon will the greenhouse need watering? What is Heather Cox Richardson saying today?And then--a miracle! The retired electrician found a part in his barn that suited our antique fuse box and by noon on Friday, power was restored.It's a good reminder, especially with winter coming, to try to be prepared.