Things happen…or they don’t! A large thunderstorm rolled through the area last night (not related to the approaching hurricane from the South). Ted is visiting from California; Erin and the girls arrive this evening. Around 7 p.m. the power went out and apparently to about 4,000 homes around us. State College did not lose power. Since it was still somewhat light outside, we gathered a few flashlights and Bert found two oil lamps that were ready to go.
Bert plugged the small wired princess phone in that we save just for these occasions so we could call out if necessary. The land line still worked but the cordless phones would not when separated from their bases. Of course, our cell phones still worked.
Ted was headed out to visit a friend in State College…and then we remembered the automatic garage door would not open without electricity. Undaunted, Bert and Ted manually lifted the door and Ted went off to visit.
As it got dark, we found ourselves sitting at the dining room table where the Aladdin lamp was. Bert was able to play Solitare and with the help of my Powerjak, I charged my phone while I finished reading a book on Kindle. No problem. Luckily, the dinner dishes were done and no machines were running. We had turned the air conditioners off when the storm started because surges of energy are hard on them.
We had a nice evening. West Penn Power said the power could be back on by 10:30 p.m. so we stayed up for a while. It felt like we were at camp…with indoor plumbing!
I was reminded of all the women way back when who had to do their mending and quilting by lamplight. Carrying a flashlight from room to room I could see all the projects I could not do right then, from my sewing machine to the computer. Not enough light from the oil lamps to do my hand stitching for my old eyes either! How times have changed!
When we went to bed the power was still out. It was amazing how dark it was…no tiny lights from various electronics; no dusk-to-dawn lights shined across the yard; no light from the neighbors. However, a glow in the sky told us that State College still had electricity. Power came back on about 1:00 a.m. We got up to turn off lights and reset battery backups.
This morning, we found bits of debris from the trees littering the ground but the plants near the patio did just fine. It’s still raining, so I’ll wait a while to check out the garden on the hill.
And of course, it was time to recharge my Powerjak…get it ready for the next time!
I’m expecting to hug the rest of Ted’s family later today. We have not seen them for two years due to Covid travel restrictions, so we’re ready for some hugs! Enjoy your day!
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