Dateline: Tuesday June 1, 2004, time 8:35 p.m.
My friend from the Northeast was in town for a visit. Now I have told him of times when the weather was bad but did he have any idea? Suddenly, I'm starting to panic...the winds pick up...rain is coming down horizontally. You couldn't see anything because of the rain. The lights flickered. Then darkness. I could hear the sirens between the thunder claps. I'm hollering...into the bathroom NOW!!! He's like...what? why? It's just rain. I'm like...NOOOOO it's not just rain.
After about one hour sitting in the bathroom with only candle light and my transistor radio, we decide to venture out. Trees in the neighborhood are uprooted. The radio states that a tornado was seen one block south of my house. My cell phone rings. It's my friends saying that their power is out too. One friend claims to have heard the infamous "freight train" sound.
I can see in the darkness that my fence is blown down. There are numerous limbs in my yard. I tell my friend that he has just experienced a Texas spring storm. That if we are lucky the lights will be back on in an hour or two. At the most it will be 4-5 hours.
Wednesday - June 2
The lights still haven't come back on.
Well my friend leaves to go to the airport. He's had to take a sponge bath because there is no hot water. I told him to look on the bright side. Chances are that everyone on the plane will probably stink too!! I drop him off at the airport and hurry back home. I just don't feel right leaving my animals locked up in a house with no air conditioning.
Then the realization hits me. I had just purchased two 1/2 gallons of Blue Bell ice cream. Now unless you are from Texas you probably won't understand the seriousness of the situation. These two 1/2 gallons of gold were turning to soup right before my very eyes!! Triple Chocolate and Key Lime Pie soup is not what I wanted. I wanted the ice cream. I'm seriously thinking of making the same deal that Robert Johnson made in order to play guitar....but is the ice cream worth it?? YES!! I reluctantly pour out the triple chocolate (with two scoops missing). But the Key lime was still in a semi-frozen state. I grabbed the spoon and like a ravenous coyote I devour the cup or so that was left.
Another storm blows in that night and cools the temperature down. I actually got a fairly decent nights sleep. Was it the temperature or the fact that I was finally back in my own bed alone? hmmmmmm not really sure.
Dateline: Thursday, June 3
Still no lights. Now I'm starting to get a little frustrated. I never realized how much I rely on noise!! I don't know what's happening in the world. I know I've spent more time out talking with my neighbors then I ever have. It's actually been fairly nice.
I had someone come by and give me an estimate on my fence. The replacement estimate of $2000. seemed a little high and the patch estimate of $750 just seemed ridiculous. Apparently the one side of fence is 99 feet. I'm thinking it will be next year before I get a new fence.
I've thrown everything out of my refrigerator today. It smells pretty bad. I'm thinking that in the future I'm going to do as the Europeans and only buy a days worth of food at a time. Just make it a habit to go to the store everyday on my way home. I know...I save money in bulk!
I went to Target and purchased what I considered to now be necessities. Deep Woods OFF (because I'm leaving windows and doors open and those pesky mosquitoes are having a fiesta on my bod!), an ice chest (I sold my old one at the last garage sale because I never used it), Batteries (because they were almost out and I figured I may need to trade them on the black market), and lastly the neatest invention...a combination, battery operated, TV, radio, weatherband radio, lantern and flashlight in ONE!! I love it!!
Dateline: Friday June 4th
Still no electricity....
I'm going stir crazy. I've cross stitched. I've played solitare. I've watched the news on my new TV (I'm afraid I'll use all the batteries up). I've drawn. I've read. What's left to do?
I called my friend up (who was off from work too) and said...Let's go shopping. But first, let's go to lunch and have margaritas!! So we did. I spent a whopping $80. on two pair of pants. She spent $800.00. What's wrong with this picture??
Tonight I decided to just go to bed early. It's 9:30 but I can't see to do anything in the candlelight. I'm getting used to my neighbor's generator running all night long. I don't know how my great-grandparents did it. As I lay there..thinking how hot and sweaty I am...it happened. All the lights came back on!!
I ran around the house, closing all the windows. I checked to make sure the garage door worked. It did!! I turned on the TV. I called friends to share in my joy. I was so happy!! I then decided to write this and I turned off the TV. I sort of liked the quietness. I'm starting to get cold now...what with the air conditioning and fan. I think I'll turn them off and go to bed. Good night.
