The end of the world as we knew it...

There were snow storms dumping Winter wonder on us, beautiful, and the traffic accidents and school closures started. I cleaned the drive and sidewalks, because I was raised that way, I fell a couple of times, old man on icy surface, and hurt my wrist trying to stop myself, but not enough to stop shoveling when I got back on my feet. The next storms were icy rain, coating the limbs of trees, weighing down the branches. We heard the trees crack and the branches fall, hoping it wasn't on any of our roofs. When the light returned with the Sun behind the clouds, we could see why the power was off all over the Sound, the Puget Sound Energy folks were out with trucks repairing and cleaning up, and then our lights went out.

Not too bad, would miss the internet and some of my favorite daytime television, but we had light, and then the power came back and we were happy. I took pictures of the downed branches and the poor Pink Dogwood, it is shorter by about four feet. I get a steak dinner and watch O'Reilly talk about things he knows nothing about. He had a Civil War quiz that had General Jackson shot by his own men, true, and he said that was what he died from, but it wasn't he died of pneumonia as a complication of losing his arm shattered when he was shot.

After dinner my wife tried to get me to go take a shower, in case the power went out again, I said I would get one when I got ready for bed. She took one, and as she finished and was drying off the light was gone from the home, we went to find the flash lights. We already had the emergency radio out with new batteries, I got the kerosene from the garage and filled the lamp, that is one great reading lamp, I ought to buy some more. Two candles, personal flashlights, and a gas fireplace for warmth. The world has come to an end as we knew it.

We sit in the recliners facing the blank television, telling stories about long ago, in her village before electricity, I mention the government that decided to hook all the farmers up to power, long ago. So they could sell refrigerators and washers, radios and power equipment for some farming tasks. My son had called while the power had come on the first time, he had heard about the ice storms (he was in Florida, I believe). The emergency radio is the one I bought long ago while a paratrooper, I wanted one that I could get shortwave on, for news while I was far from home. It had kept our battalion well informed about the First Gulf War, thank you BBC, and I was able to introduce my commander to the Hobbit as we waited to invade Iraq. We listened every morning as I shaved and packed for the new day. It is on Classic KING FM, nice to hear harpsichords, and classical music is soothing. If it returns to the latest Ice Age, it has been good knowing y'all. Good Night!