Wednesday, June 28, 2023

STAYCATION 2023 DAY 3 – THE SETBACK

Taken on our walk to the mailbox

I went to bed at 9:00 last night and went right to sleep. At 2:30, I was wide awake. I finally got up at 5:30. At 6:15, the electricity went off. You know, you can’t do much when the electricity is off – no internet, no TV, no kitchen appliances, no water pump, no clock. Intellectually, I know all this, but I still tried to use the water pick, make hummingbird nectar, water the garden, and read my email.

At 7:00, Bess and I walked to the mailbox. My plan is to take this longer walk early in the day. It looks like the next few days will be pleasant, but it’s still good not to climb Plank’s Pitch in the heat of the day. Then we played fetch.

At 9:15, three hours after the electricity went off, I told myself I had to call the power company to be sure the outage was regional and not my problem. They were handling the issue, the automated voice said, and estimated restoration would happen by 10:45. Not long after my call, a power company employee drove in. He said he was just trying to “see what was going on.” I said the electricity had been off since 6:15. He said they didn’t call him until 7:00, and I realized this didn’t bode well for early restoration. The electricity finally came on at 11:30.

But – not everything was a setback. I found my little garden fences – one in the barn and others in the woodshed – and staked the tomatoes and summer squash. I was dismayed that the little yellow crookneck hadn’t grown since last week. During our Sunday phone conversation, brother Chuck and I discussed that lack of water might be the problem, but I checked the seed packet and discovered that the fruits of this variety are between 5 and 8 inches. So, I picked it and ate it for supper. It was delicious!

At the pond

I see the tiniest little hummingbirds this year. I’m sure they’re calliopes. I guess the word is out that a feast can be had at Kathy's place because their numbers have picked up.

I sewed a little this afternoon – just a little. I have decided to finish an old discarded project. I’ll say more if it actually happens. I inadvertently left my “Grandma” embroidery in town. I’m disappointed, but hey! – I have a lot of other handwork I can do. It’s been cool enough to crochet on the afghan. KW

2 comments:

Chuck said...

Did the power company employee tell you what the problem was? Because he came in, was it something on your end? You seem to be having a good time on your "staycation". You seem to be making the best of the situation. I am proud of your resourcefulness, and ability to step up to whatever is required of you. Have a great day.

Kathy said...

HI Chuck!
When the power company "trouble guy" drove in, he apparently didn't know where the trouble was, and he didn't return to report. I guess it's just enough to restore power. I'm on a "need to know" basis, and I don't need to know. I will say, though, that the power has been off a lot in recent weeks, and it's a nuisance.

I thought it was strange that the power guy would come here, but son Clint, who had years of experience working for a power company, said that would be typical.

Thanks for your kind words.