⚡ March 16, 2018
Roughing It 🔥
You get a little shell-shocked when the power goes out unexpectedly, and since power is as subtle and as necessary as breathing, when it stops, it is always unexpected. Therefore, it’s taken me a little while to again trust the powerful laptop I usually disappear into, wandering down long lanes of archaeological research, complete with color photos, or playing at movie fan sites packed with entire rooms full of like-minded chatterers, or just reading-reading-reading. Your trips into Computerland might vary, but they are probably just as mind-cradling.
So, hello again!
I’ve learned a couple of important things during this last siege of Nor’easters Riley and Quinn, and one thing I still have to look up is why the Q came after the R in this particular sequence of reality and time. It is, after all, just one week into Daylight Squandering Time, and I’m still marveling at the bright six-o’clock splash of sunlight on my wooden floor. So many changes; so little time.
Important Thing One: Happiness is a result of a calculation. It’s always a matter of how long or how much or how come – hours of sunlight, pounds lost or gained, relationships squared or halved. With the power out, the calculations are simpler: how cold, how hungry, how tired replaces worrying about the third season of Arrested Development or vacuuming or Twittering.
We didn’t completely dissolve into Walden Pond, however. I did rediscover fire, which is good for warmth, light, and cooking. Important Thing Two: don’t let your wood get wet. Don’t take the tarp off the woodpile, ever. Duh.
As the days wore on, we coped in the cave of shadows. At times, we were downright cozy. My thermos kept the coffee warm, my iPhone powered the iPad, which still had cable, so we were able to watch the Academy Awards just like all good Americans, except those living in Puerto Rico. Ironically, one of the best things on this particular Academy Awards was seeing Rita Moreno wear the same dress, 56 years later, that she wore when she won for singing America and starring in West Side Story. If you know the song, you will always say “Puerto Rico” the way she sings it in your head. Thanks, Rita!
Important Thing Three: Use all the electricity you can afford. Turn it all on: the music, the mixer, the microwave, the TV, the lights, and the heaters. Dance and cook and spin under a twinkling silver ball … until the power goes out. One of these times, it will be for good. 🐔