Power

Summer means many days of heat in the land-locked upper plains. My tundra tendencies struggle to make the leap from spring to summer. Frankly, I am not sure we ever get spring here. It seems that one day I am shoveling snow and the next I am playing games with my thermostat, shuddering at the thought of my air conditioning bill. I like living in a place with seasons but give me the cooler months any day.

The 4th of July brought with it temperatures nearing the triple digits and we sweltered with a heat advisory in place. I am a lily so I stayed inside with my friend, Mr. AC. Just as the light of day began to wane, the light of my lamp also faded. More accurately, the light was no more, along with the humming of all things electric. Yes, the electricity was off. My overactive imagination immediately felt the pressure of impending doom. No electricity means vulnerable foods in the refrigerator and the freezer are at risk. No electricity means all devices on ten percent remaining power are in jeopardy of working no more. No electricity means NO AC!

My calm and logical husband immediately checked our breaker box to start eliminating causes of our power outage. Everything was good on that front. The next step was to check with the neighbors. Within minutes, the neighborhood was abuzz with folks shouting out, "Do you have power?" It was quickly apparent that we were not the only ones with a house starting to heat up. I made a call to my friends at the power company and the very friendly customer service representative confirmed that over six hundred customers were without power and a truck was on the way to remedy the situation. "Expect service outage for another four hours." Gulp.

No surprise that our dependence on electricity makes us a bit helpless when it is gone. I abandoned the book I was reading after it was clear my flashlight was not going to emit more than a dim glow. My attempt to go to bed was also useless with the increasing heat. Our basement is naturally cooler so I retreated there, hoping for a sooner than four hour return of power.

Blessedly, the house lit up after two hours. The refrigerator and freezer began to hum again. The clocks begged for an update on the time. The Bunn coffee maker whooshed with the sound of heating water. And, best of all, the AC kicked in with deliciously cool air.

Lessons were learned from this experience. My husband and I realized our choices for non-electrical lighting are limited to flashlights which are fine for finding one's way but less so for lighting up a room. He is now on the hunt for a more comprehensive lighting option. Secondly, we acknowledged how grateful we are for electricity and the women and men who spent their 4th of July evening fixing the problem for us.

Finally, we are blessed by our neighbors. As the evening progressed, our neighbors were sharing updates and information with us and each other. The hum of outdoor conversations could be heard without the distraction of indoor noise. The neighbors who arrived home from a family outing were appraised of the current situation. We definitely felt a misery-loves-company connection.

We may not have had electrical power but we certainly felt the power of good neighbors. No flashlights necessary.