Rain, rain. Everywhere rain.
Rain on the grass.
Rain on the roads.
Rain in the basement . . . ouch!
We got rain.
We got wind.
Then after two days of being drenched and blown around, we lost power. And, while we were not exactly living a PBS Colonial House existence, things were tough at Casa d’Rush. From Saturday afternoon to Sunday evening things were pretty still in our home.
No fans to move the air.
No humidifiers to dry up said wet basement.
No running water to consume or flush.
Over 24 hours of no cable TV, for goodness sakes! When I hear folks longing for the ‘good ol? days,? or saying, ‘I wish I was born back in the cowboy days,? I shake my head. No way, brother! I am all for the now and the future.
Give me modern conveniences like Mr. Crapper’s invention. I like computers and radios and television. I like having a forced-air gas furnace in the winter to keep me toasty. I like running water, refrigerators, power tools and being able to leave the lights on all night long. Not to mention, I like the idea of modern medicine and medical techniques. There is a reason doctors were called ‘sawbones? and I don’t like thinking about that. (I admit I am having a hard time waiting for flying hover cars and floating cities as was promised by the cartoon animators of The Jetsons.)
Which brings me back to having to go without power and the modern life for 24 hours.
At 3 a.m. on Sunday, in the pouring rain, Jen got up and noticed the power was still missing. She got dressed, drove to the 24-hour corner gas station and picked up six bags of ice. We had gone grocery shopping for the week and she didn’t want any of our new food to spoil. We packed our ‘fridge and freezer the best we could and went back to sleep.
The dogs and the boys (and so, too were we parents) up by six. Still, no power. No Cartoon Network. No quick coffee. And, there was a little bit of water on the floor in front of the refrigerator from the now melting ice inside. We fixed the boys a simple breakfast, dressed ’em and sent them outside to play.
By 7:30 that morning, four-year-old Sean decided the best thing to do to get rid of the boredom was to pluck up worms from the soggy backyard and offer them to the birds.
‘Here, birdy, birdy, birdy. I have a worm for you,? he said, with all the warmth and sincerity of one who truly believes he is one with the animal kingdom and can communicate with all critters. Funny thing, no birds accepted his offer.
By 8 a.m. his belief faltered and he brought his ‘new worm friends? in to the kitchen (who needs stupid birds for friends anyway?). He was none too pleased when told to take his friends back out. His little four-year-old brain didn’t grasp the concept that, ‘Worms like to be outside so they can feed the birds.?
By 9 a.m. everybody had been outside for two hours. The house was dark and dank. So despite a ‘little? rain, outside under the overcast sky was the most cheery place to be.
That’s about the time the boys got on each other’s nerves and started finger flickin? each other in the head. Finger flicks lead to wrestling, which leads to somebody crying.
Dear wife Jen didn’t let the weather slow her down. She worked through the rain and in the mud. Industrious, she weeded, mulched and made tidy her little corner of the backyard. I, your hero, made and drank two pots of ‘camp? coffee on the grill. I watched everybody doing their thing. There was, after all no power. Which meant no running water, which meant no hot bath. I didn’t see any need in getting muddy and besides the coffee tasted good.
At about 9:30, neighbor lady Kathy came over to see how things were going. (She probably was worried little Rushlings Shamus and Sean were really gonna? hurt themselves as the finger-flicking had escalated in intensity, on schedule.) Kathy and her husband Mike were doing okay. During the night they had had the foresight to put buckets under downspouts to collect water for flushing. They had dry-ice and regular ice packed ’round their food. They must have been scouts or something when they were young, because they are always prepared.
Gosh, I hate it when the power goes out. Give me power! Give me the modern world.
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