Adapt, overcome, something...

 So I wrapped up work around 3 pm, grabbed five more tubs of fabric from the storage unit. Got home, pulled up into the drive. 

Oddly, my porch light was blinking. It's one with a sensor that will turn it on at dusk and off at dawn. I thought "huh, wonder if one of the geckos ran over the sensor and made it react (we have Mediterranean House Geckos here, they're all over outside). 

I kind of mentally shrugged, went in, went to check my e-mail when suddenly.....booooooooop. All the power went off. I didn't realize it at first because I'd downloaded my e-mail and the computer was charged, but I noticed the lights were out. 

At first, I thought "oh no no no is something wrong with the house wiring" because somehow I thought not EVERYTHING was off. So I sighed, decided to see if I could spot a flipped breaker, and went to the kitchen. (It's light enough where the breaker box is - near enough to a window). 

I had to shove over the washer/dryer because they were blocking it

Nope, no breakers thrown.

Shoot, I thought. I hope that doesn't mean something's really wrong with the house wiring, I don't have the money for electrical work right now.

I called it in to O G and E anyway. Then went outside and tried to see if anyone else had lights on, but as it was about 3:30 pm at that point, of course no one did. Then I remembered I had contact info for a neighbor across the street, and while some times one side of a street can go out and not the other, I texted her: "is your power out?"

A few moments back: "YES!"

So okay: it's not my house. That's a relief. Then O G and E texted me: ETA 4:58

Okay, fine.  I had CWF tonight, it was our salad supper, so I have to make the salad, but I better do that NOW so the beans and corn and jicama have a chance to marinate. Fortunately nothing needed to be heated, and the beans and corn are out of cans, but....cutting the jicama would be an issue, my kitchen is DIM that time of day (only north facing windows). 

Then I remembered the headlamp I bought early this year when they were talking about bad ice storms and maybe power outages.

So, okay, I thought, I can cut up the jicama like this

It worked well enough. The power came back on just as I was getting done.

The good news is I was then able to take the remaining hour or so I had and empty the bins. I found the Paddington fabric I got a long time back (I think it was one of the anniversaries) and put it on the little shelf with a vague plan to do something with it soon. (I said I wasn't going to keep as much "juvenile" fabric but Paddington is eternal and for all ages, in my book). 

At any rate: I'm glad I'm bringing my fabric back home, glad I can organize it. Not sure if I'll have room on the shelves for ALL of it but I am trying to "edit" as I go so pieces I love less will wind up being donated. 

 

*ETA: a transformer blew up on the south side of town, knocking out power to some 1200 of us. There was video of it on the local news, it was pretty scary and spectacular.