Random Thoughts

I know, I know...PG&E is being 'cautious,' but it does seem cruel to cut the power during a heat wave so they can check the lines and equipment in fire season.  Couldn't they keep up with all that during the rest of the year?  George nailed it when he said we spent two days in a sauna.  The heat on Tuesday was the worst, absolutely stifling, too hot to move, let alone do anything.  Yesterday was cooler, but the smoke was thick, so thick that I waited for daylight to start a new book, then waited for the sun to get higher because there was no light.  It was like that all day, thick dark smoke that made it hard to breathe and I felt like my myopic sister as I held the book close to my face to see the words.  The relief when the electricity came back on a little after 5 last night was tremendous.  The ceiling fan felt like honest-to-goodness A/C.  Twenty minutes later PG&E called to tell me power had been restored.  Gee, thanks.

The cats sat at the screen door and watched the passing parade of turkeys and quail.  With so few people out and about, the birds became emboldened.

What did I miss?  Not cooking, because I wasn't hungry.  George's peaches kept me alive.  I missed flushing the toilet (hey, we're down to basics here).  I missed watching the news:  what was happening out in the world, were there fires close by, what screwball thing had the politicians got up to...the things inquiring minds want to know.  I missed taking a shower, wearing clothes stiff with sweat.

I kept Michael's head damp with the spray bottle, unable to hose him down.  He drained his water dish, so I made do with ice cubes that melted almost as soon as I filled the bowl.

My cellphone was down to its last cell, so I took Michael with me to sit in the truck and run the engine, the air conditioner, and the gizmo that would recharge the phone.  Michael must have wondered why we weren't going somewhere; it wasn't worth explaining.

I really appreciated the friends who called to check in.  Unlike my wireless phones that store names and numbers, the landline is a basic telephone like the old days with none of the frills.  All of the necessary info was on the powerless wireless.  Remember how many phone numbers we used to keep stored in our heads?  I saved the cellphone for emergencies.

What a pleasure it is to have light at the flip of a switch, to be able to turn on the TV and hear human voices, to have the computer back again!

Stay safe.  Be well.