Saturday when I got home from work I didn't even notice that our power was out. The temperature was comfy and it's time of year when daylight lasts well into the evening. Of course I'd noticed the major thunder/wind storm on my way home - but it'd already passed and I just wanted to take the dogs out and relax. When I got out with the dogs, I did notice that all of our neighbors on our side of the street and across the alley were standing around outside. I couldn't help but notice, since Roc is an adherent of the "little yappy dog" theory of guard dogsmanship. I herded the kids back inside and went out to find out what the fuss was about.
A huge branch from a tree across the alley landed directly on the power lines. The live wires were sitting on a neighbor's garage, the alley was blocked with tree bits, and the fire department was on its way. I missed all the excitement - apparently sparks flew, literally.
I called Fran to let her know the situation - and asked her to pick up a bag of ice on her way home. Crises are easier to deal with when you have anything-on-the-rocks in your hand. I brought up our cooler, the battery-powered fan (standard equipment for French Bulldog owners), opened the windows wide and dusted off the battery-operated radio. No, the weather alert system is not an addiction. The Cubs are.
We did just fine for a while. We had a nice meal while it was still light and Fran had her usual 15-minute intense fetch session with Ceilidh. Then - there was nothing to do. Every one of our usual pastimes requires power. Reading, watching tv, working, all of it. We had a couple of candles for light.
Ceilidh really, really hated it. Her normal routine was interrupted and she just couldn't deal. We sometimes forget how much of a "special needs" dog Ceilidh is. She wasn't happy; didn't eat, couldn't settle, didn't like it one little bit. You could almost see the waves of stress radiating from her little body. Of course we felt badly for her - but there was nothing we could do to help.
We never thought we'd be happy to hear the sounds of heavy machinery and chain saws at 11:00 on a Saturday night. Power was restored shortly after midnight. All was once again right in Ceilidh's world.
Posts
3 comments:
My lab also gets super stressed when the power goes out. The mutt doesnt' care much one way or the other.
Isn't it funny how a power outage gets you reacquainted with your neighbors, and you also realize how dependent you've become on the power company for your entertainment. And I agree, anything is easier to deal with when you have something on the rocks.
It is amazing how dogs get so upset when their world is truned uoside down. I have the same problem with the 2 dogs and the 3 cats. All we did was rip out the dining room carpet and you would think we moved tem to a new planet. They are so upset with this.
Post a Comment