Electricity is Essential

 

Wednesday. 11:30 AM July 24, 2024. TV blasting, I am drawing on iPad. I hear Bob say, Well, we're down!

I look up. WHAT?  his answer WE.ARE.DOWN!  points at black TV screen and I realize the house is dead quiet. POWER GONE! 

Things I Learned in order of scariest

 

AC gone, its mid-day, 90 F feels like 102

Bob has no TV, which means, I could read, draw on iPad, type blog post, because they are battery run, but because Bob has no TV, I can't do those things. 

there is not one timepiece in the house, not a clock or watch. Cell phone is the only clock.

Lunch time can't open fridge, nothing but bread/crackers and peanut butter available. I did boil my rice pasta and it is draining in the sink, I offer Bob tuna and rice pasta, he refuses and says he will wait.

I eat mine, share with Beau, who is confused because the house is quiet, and bob doesn't eat.

Bob says, there is always the weather radio. I say no, I want to enjoy the quiet. I realize I don't know the local stations that might give us news. I look up the channels for Bradenton on phone and spend 30 minutes playing with the weather radio.

(which reminds me, with all the loud storms the radio did not make a sound)

I ended up sitting on couch, the three of us, and I am making lists of what I need to gather if the power goes out for days or weeks. It is Hurricane Season in Florida. I start a PLAN. As i type this, I still have no real plan. The thing is, we need a generator. a small one to run a fan, coffee pot, and the refrigerator. 

we HAD WORDS over the generator that he says we might never use, and a waste of thousands of dollars. I say if we wait until we need one there will not be any because everyone else did the same thing.

I decide to search for prices. CAN'T, no Wi-Fi. yikes. 

I decided to print a list of local radio channels, CAN'T, no WIFI!

We survived 90 minutes without air conditioning, and no TV and no Internet! Happy Dance that it was only 90 minutes.... had trouble sleeping because The Plan would not come, I had NO PLAN... I HAVE NO PLAN! and that makes me crazy.

On the plus side, when I asked Willie if his power was out, he said yes and I said the food was trapped in the fridge, no microwave or toaster oven and I forgot we had a grill that I could boil stuff, but the stuff was in the fridge. He said I lived in the back woods of Oklahoma for 15 years; trust me I know how to survive. He looked surprised when I said OH GOOD, if we lose power, I will be knocking on your door so you can teach me how to feed myself. 

PS without electricity I can't burn my new NOOK LIGHTS!  Guess who had no coffee Friday am because even though I made it with water and coffee and turned it to auto on, I FORGOT TO CHANGE THE CLOCK, it was 90 minute WRONG... the MR was not happy

We have a STORM on the way, maybe lots of rain, maybe not, maybe high winds, maybe not. Might be a Tropical Storm, chance it will be hurricane. on and on and on.  We are prepared.. 

FPL Good Job

 

I opened the door to a knock, and there stood a man in a bright green vest. He handed me the above doorknob hanger and said, FPL (electric company that has easement on back of our property under the power lines) will be trimming your trees in the next 5 days.

He said maybe late today or sometime tomorrow.

I rushed to the back yard and told Bob the good news that I did not have to call them to cut the trees and rushed back to the computer.

his last words were, we will knock before we enter your back yard.

One hour later I walked in the kitchen still in my night gown to let Beau outside.

Across the pool were these two men trimming trees.

I had no idea they were there. The green guy caught me taking photos and waved, I ran to the bedroom window, and they had left the drive through gate standing open.

 I kept Beau inside until they left and hour later.

 

I thought they were gone, they were not in the back yard, I went out and checked the gate safety and as I walked back, they had appeared in the back yard behind us behind the gate and two were up in the trees. They waved! I followed Beau around while he did his business  and heard the man in the tree yell HEY! I looked and he pointed to the side yard where there was a 4th man peering over that fence.

I looked at him, he said something I could not hear Beau and I walked closer and he said something in Spanish, as I was talking English and he started to shake his head back and forth.

No no hablar! Pointing at Beau and then pointing to the door.

I yelled you want the dog inside?

Seeeeee while nodding up and down and grinning at me.

the most excitement we have had since Hurricane Ian.

I thought he would go around, could not tell him don't step on the rotted fence, and he of course DID step on it causing it to lean almost to the ground.

I will not repeat the words bob said.

Before above below is after.  You can't see much difference but everything that was touching wires is gone

See the tree in the middle above?

Below it is down about 8 feet shorter.

We are thankful they did it and wish they could have taken down more, but they only do what touches wires, and we have to do the rest if we want it done. that means pay for it.

I am so very thankful they cleared what they did.

The last time they trimmed you will find HERE Tree walker in November 2010, they surprised me then when I stepped outside in my night gown and there he was in our tree.

The big Pine with a chain saw, walking from limb to limb, this time it was Jake the unfriendly dog in the yard. I did get great photos 

of him doing his tree walking, I wanted to catch the photo if he fell

Cable Guy Short Post Test

Cable/Internet Problems!!!!

Cable Guy Came Next Day

Replaced Modem (said was on recall) and DVR (said was 7 years old, time to replace)

We lost ALL pre-recorded shows

AND all to be recorded in future.

He was here and hour and a half

CLICK HERE for the Rest Of The Story from Big Boy's Perception

This is a test post! I am trying to shorten my stories. The thing is this is JUST The Facts!

what fun is that?

(I MIGHT do a word only post and say what I would have said)

Not a Frog in the bucket

I said to Bob, what is that noise? He replied What Noise?  I followed my ears and there he was. FPL guy in a bucket cutting down the neighbors Bamboo.

We had watched with joy as the neighbor over a period of 2 weeks slowly removed the bamboo that ruins our pool by raining tiny leaves in it. Also when the wind blows, the bamboo shorts out the power lines. I said to Bob as we watched the neighbor, if he touches those 3 tall ones that are touching the power line, we need to be ready to call 911... 2 days after I said that FPL appeared and took it all down safely... YAY it is all gone now. so is the cute guy in the bucket that wondered what the heck the old lady was doing with her camera.

If you are bored with nothing else to do, click HERE for prior post on when I did call the power down number because the bamboo was flaming on those wires. that was back in 2016.

Heads UP, Tree Walker!

I went to step out in my back yard,and realized the chain saw noise I heard was VERY CLOSE. I looked up and there He was, way up at the 40 top of our pine tree and he appeared to be walking on tree limbs.

Look to the right of above photo and you will see our prized Night Blooming Cactus. I was breatheless that he might harm it. Turns out he did not hurt IT, but tore 9 pieces off the giant staghorn plant when limbs fell on it.

 The limb he is standing on is at least 30 feet up in the air, and 10 feet away from the trunk of the tree.

I watched in amazement as he walked around in the top of the tree. He stood on the limbs like it was solid ground. he did have a rope tied to the trunk Just In Case he fell.

these men were from the power company, taking out limbs that might harm the wires behind our lot.he did not know I was watching with my camera because I was hiding in the garage with my long lens.