Wind Storm

This is my moms story. It got published in the paper! Thought I would share.
Way to Go mommy!
What did you do when the power went off? The first day we were out shopping and came home to find a pine tree across the road and no power. The bartender had to manually open the garage door so we could get into the house and put our groceries away. Hmmm, do we put the milk in the fridge or leave it on the porch? We cozy up around the fireplace, with candles and a scotch and soda. Not too bad. The next morning we woke to a chilly house. The bartender started the fireplace again. What could I do? My Christmas Cards! I got them all addressed and even wrote some letters - by hand! It sure gets dark early. Fireplace warms the family room but the bathrooms are chilly. That's another thing, we are on a well - no power, no water. By the afternoon of the second day it's not fun anymore. I've used up all my half used candles and will have to bring out my new ones soon. Radio says the power should come on around 8 PM. Well that's okay. Bartender brings McDonalds home and we eat by candlelight. 10 PM and still no power. That's two episodes of Corry missed! Surely it will be on in the morning.
Day 3, no power. No water, splash tiny bit of bottled water on face. No coffee. Getting cranky. Bartender lugs yet another bucket of water up two flights of stairs so we can flush toilets. He decides to take all the meat from our freezer to his brother's as his power came on yesterday and they have room in their freezer. They live a mile from us. Sister in law sends back a pot of coffee. Bless her. Haven't showered in three days, can't go out of the house. Everything requires electricity. What can I do? Took all my books back to the library last week. Oh, the beaded hat. Yes ladies, I put it together. Doesn't look quite as good as our Queen's did but oh well. At least it is no longer rattling around the bottom of my bag. Now we are told we should have power by 4 PM.
It's now 2 PM day 3 and I've stolen pine branches from the tree that fell across our road to put into my planters. Noticed that 248 St has power. We do not. Can't be long now though. Are they not fixing our street because its only 6 houses long?
Ten minutes past 4 and I've lit the candle stubs. The bartender is out looking for someone to yell at. He wants someone up the pole at our house now! We've been on the phone with very patient BC Hydro customer relations people and they keep saying we are on the list. The food I left in the freezer on top of the fridge is thawed. I throw squishy packages into the garbage. What's this? Oh the bag split. It's dripping down my fridge, its stewed rhubarb all over the floor. I mop it up by candle light with a paper towel. What a sticky mess. We are out of Scotch. To bed in the dark and cold again. Surely the power will be on in the morning.
Wake at 7:30. In the cold. No power yet. This is day 4 now and I'm really mad. I phone Hydro and the recording says our street should have power by 8 PM! I've had it and stay on the line to yell really loud at the customer relation person. I tell them we are all pensioners on this street. Shades of Greengrass. The poor CR person uses all the training he has to try to calm me down but I'm cold and cranky and want a cup of coffee and a hot shower! He says all I can do is wait.
It's 9 am now and I'm still fuming. I hear the beep beep beep of a truck backing up. I race to the window and yes, it's a hydro truck turning around in my driveway. Where is it going? Is it leaving? I trudge up the driveway in my jammies and fluffy slippers to see where it's gone. There he is, up the pole. Hooray. The bartender races out and yes, we should have power in 10 minutes. What's that noise? The micro wave. It beeped! It's light is flashing. We have electricity.
I don't know how the people in New Orleans managed during and after Katrina. We are so used to turning on a switch and having heat and light and entertainment. I'm grateful for small things now. Being able to make a cup of tea. Being able to flush a toilet. Turning on the tap and having clean water come out. Going into a dark room and turning it to light with the flick of a switch. Opening the garage door with a remote opener. The computer. And I am especially grateful to the people at Hydro who climbed poles and fixed transformers in miserable weather, and listened to a cranky old woman without hanging up on her.