We, that is residents of the great state of Texas, were asked to conserve energy on Monday afternoon. It was not a command, but a plea for volunteers. I am sure most complied. Simple things like not using the oven between four and eight, or turning down the air-con to a couple of degrees higher than normal, not using heavy appliances, like the washing machine or dryer. I did my part. Naturally, I had an abundance of extra washing this weekend. I always have an abundance of washing when they ask us to conserve energy! However, I could change my routine if it meant saving a few 'whatever it is' they use here.
As the heat continued to soar, I decided not to bake for Wednesday night, but do something a little less power consuming. I had some oranges that would not last much longer, and thought that a refreshing dessert of caramlised oranges would be much better than a heavy pudding. Best laid plans, etc., etc.
We were almost out of coffee at the office. I had not been to see Joe in a while, and Grant was creating 'blends' with the grounds that we had left. I had messaged Joe a couple of weeks ago, and not got a response until much later in the day. He told me his hours, and said I was welcome any time. My message went unanswered again, so I decided to make the trip and hope for the best. I sent a message to say I was on my way.
The warehouse looked empty. I sent Joe another message to say, "I'm here!" The sign on the door said they opened at nine, but it was barely 8:15. I looked inside and saw movement, so entered through the 'staff only' door. Greeted by a rather perturbed looking young man, I asked if Joe was around. He responded that he was not, and before he could say anything else, as I could see him wondering how I had the audacity to come in where no mere mortal should, I asked if Logan was there. I am not sure how to describe the look on the young man's face, as Logan appeared and greeted me as a long lost friend, rather than an intruder. Logan and I have something in common. He not only lived in England for a few years, but in the town where I was brought up. The interesting thing is that was a very small town and if ever someone asked, "Where do you live?" most would have never heard of it. When Logan said he had lived in England, but I would probably not know the town, he was so excited to find out I not only knew it, but lived there too! I don't think I would have been shuffled out the way I came in, had Logan not lived in Kenton for a few years, but it didn't hurt!
I was shown out the front door, together with my large bags of supplies and as I arrived at the office, I received a text from Joe. "I guess you know I am not there by now!" I responded that Logan had taken good care of me, and I hoped he was having a good time!
Threats of storms had been looming, and as we ate dinner, we could see the lightening filling the distant skies. The oranges were not quite the delicacy I had hoped. The caramel had not really caramelised and although I had left them all day, it was still more like 'sugar water'. I decided to start again, and boiled up some more. I think I let it boil for a second or two longer than it should, poured it on the oranges, and heard the 'crack' as it set. It should not set! I proceeded to dig at it with a spoon, and the whole thing looked rather a mess! I was sure it would taste good, because it was, after all, caramel!
Thunder rolled, and as I finished clearing away the 'mains', another 'crack' was heard, but this time it was not caramel. As I walked to the table with a bowl of something that would have to be explained, the lights went out! I placed the bowl on the table and announced, "What a shame you cannot see this glorious creation. It is so pretty!" It tasted good. The orange slices were beautifully caramlised and the extra rind was rather 'continental'.
I noticed that the lights opposite us were on, and texted my neighbour two blocks down to see if she had power. She did. I appeared it was our block and the one to the left of us were out. My next door neighbour told me that their next door had received a text to say it would be restored by 10pm. It was one of those times when everyone who is not affected gives you the 'pity' look, and tries to be encouraging, but you can see through the facade and hear as loud as the thunder that cracked overhead, the real thought of "Thank goodness it is not me!" You know that is what they are thinking, because you have been on the other side!
Not completely satisfied, I called the energy company, who assured me that all was being done that could be done at this time, and they were aware of the issue. If I would like to call back in an hour, I would be welcome to do so. I left it for two. "We can't get anyone out while the lightening is still happening, but we will work through the night", said the nice young lady.
Flannels were soaked in cold water, and ice packs taken from the freezer, which would not be opened again until the power came back on, were laid on us and the bed. It wasn't too hot and the temperature had dropped, albeit slightly. The lady at the energy company had suggested we stay hydrated, and open some windows to let in some air. "Air?" I announced. It was 104 outside. Opening windows would have been a disaster!
At 3:45, Dana decided he would go to the office. It would be much cooler, and as we had fallen asleep around ten, he was raring to go. I got up and pottered before going swimming early. I called the power company again at six. It occurred to me that, perhaps, we were being 'fobbed off' with excuses. At 3:45, I was told a truck was on its way, or should already be at our complex. "Can you tell me", I started, "Is there really someone on the way, or are we being fobbed off?" I apologised in advance, as it was not her fault, but she was the unlucky one who had answered the phone. I continued with a synopsis of past events. "During the debacle of the 2021 storm, my neighbours were told someone would be dealing with the problem, and help was on its way, when in fact, no one even knew about it! The guy at the energy company admitted that he was just there to appease. He could not get a message through. Is that what is happening here. Are you merely appeasing me?" I was not prepared for the answer, although I should have been. "I can't answer that, in case I get it wrong", she said! I was told that the energy company open at seven, and I should try again.
I left the call until five after the hour, so that there would be time for the phones to switch over. I am still not sure that I got through to a person at the company, and perhaps was still on the phone to an appeasing operator. As I had been told several times during the night, there was no 'estimated restoration time'. Why? Were there not enough crews? Was there a bigger problem? Why? "I can't tell you, ma'am. But if you go onto the website, you can pull up the map and see the outages and how they are proceeding". I took a deep breath. "I have no electricity! I can't get on to the website!" A pause. "Of course. I am sorry, ma'am". As for checking on the outages, I think I knew where at least one of the outages was!
The look of pity crossed the faces of my neighbours. "Did you call the energy company?" asked one. I replied that I did. "They are like a nanny service", I said. "They tell you that mummy and daddy will not be long, when in fact they have gone on a missionary trip to Borneo for three months, and the likelihood of them coming back, ever, is less than ten percent!" The look of pity turned to shock, and then back again. A truck rounded the corner, but it was a telephone provider. The good news, however, was that the telephone provider could not repair their lines without electricity, and thankfully, the energy truck rounded the corner shortly thereafter. By 8:30 our power was restored. It was a branch on a line, I believe.
We had survived. I watched the outage map all day. One house in our zip code area did not get power back until mid afternoon. Apparently, the company had been working all night, but there were priority areas. I knew I could survive, and having dealt with a longer outage during the 'debacle', after the initial shock, I would go into 'survival' mode.
I was offered a power line, a shower, and even a generator. The 'glass half empty' brigade, stand with the 'glass half full' encouragers, and it is always nice to be on either side rather than in the middle! After the look of pity either comes, "Oh my goodness, that's awful. A friend of mine was out for days, months, years", or "I am sure it will be fixed soon. Do you need a shower, or food?" I am always in the second camp, but there are a lot more in the first!
Emergency over, we headed into the weekend, with the temperatures slightly cooler. "One silver cloud", I said to whomever was listening. "At least I could present the oranges as a masterpiece!"
The weekend arrived, and the promise of hotter weather next week hinted that it was going to be a hot summer, although our state power house predicts it to be cooler than last year. My plants certainly hope so, as they are being brutally battered by either hot sun, or large pieces of hail!
A hot Saturday gave way to a slightly cooler morning on Sunday. The breeze has helped keep things cool, but it is always a concern that the wind will pick up and another tree limb will find its way to the power line. It is unlikely, as it is only a breeze, and the strong gusts we had on Wednesday are a far cry from that. The Girl Guide in me is ever present, and much as I do not always ascribe to the motto "Be Prepared!", I find that I am more resourceful than I give myself credit. I just have to remember that when blowing out candles, the wax that is still wet will fly over the table, and it is not easy to scrape off, especially when there are no lights to see!
Once again, we have hit mid-summer, and the year is almost half over! At present, I am sitting writing this post, not wanting to think past the moment I finish, but knowing that the day awaits, and more adventures await me. I prefer to think of them as adventures, rather than disasters. Even without electricity for thirteen hours, during the honest day of the year, I was still far better off than a lot of people. I shall try to remember that next time I have an adventure! Positive attitudes really do make a difference for a better, if not ......... another sotry!
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