power failure

It was fully dark outside when I woke up.

Hmmm, my digital clock is off. The cord and connections are not easily accessed. I’ll figure out what’s wrong with my clock in the light of day. All I know for sure is we are somewhere between evening and morning. I wonder where?

Flushing the toilet, there is no tank refill. No water flowing into the tank and, therefore, no power to the mutual water system. The lack of juice is much more widespread than just my clock, and has gone on long enough for the neighbors to use up the pressure tank contents.

Happily, we have good people in Ravalli Electric Co-op who undoubtedly are working on restoring power. Back to bed. Nothing for me to do but go back to sleep.

That failed. After a couple hours, I gave up. Here I am writing to you.

I lay awake for with my mind churning on what my morning would involve with neither electrical power or pressurized water.

I know where our 2 1/2 gallon jug of drinking water is.
Where are the gallon jugs?
Where are the 5 gallon jugs?
Where is the filter to purify the river water?
Sure glad we have flashlights EVERYWHERE
…and such good variety. Those lanterns will be wonderful.
Where is the new good LED one?
How am I going to make coffee?
Fudge. That hand grinder is sooo slow.
Where are the matches to light the gas range when the piezoelectric igniters are on vacation?
I think they are in the cabinet above the stove.
I gotta make sure I KNOW.
I can always wait for the woodstove to heat the water.
Oh so slow. Sigh.
I hate starting without my lovely cup of coffee.
Sure glad we are accustomed to heating with wood… and don’t need the fan.
How am I going to get power to the fridge.
It will need a long cool down cycle as soon as I get up.
I guess it will be okay overnight.
I wonder how long the power has been out already.
What time is it anyway?
How long until morning?
I am confident the Honda generator will start easily. It’s a Honda. Nuff said.
Yeah. I am sure it has stabilized fuel in it.
Yeah, I’ll use the 100-foot blue extension cord.
Hmmm… through the door, opened a crack…
Trip hazard for Mom across the floor to the fridge … can’t be avoided.
Ought to wire an outlet from behind the fridge to the shop for this purpose.
The Honda is quiet, but I do have to vent the exhaust out of the shop somehow.
I can’t possibly power the neighborhood. I gotta keep the noise inside.
But how do I vent the exhaust? Open the river side door is my only choice.
I gotta come up with a better exhaust plan as soon as I can.
How are the neighbors going to keep their food cool.
I hope they have plenty of coolers.
Fortunately it is winter, it is cool, but not frigid outside.
Sure glad the kids got that new Yamaha generator.
I wonder how they will get by.
What will they need.
I sure hope we have phone service.
I wish our radio setup to/from them was complete.
We really ought to put a storage tank on the hill above them.
How high is that hill?
What’s that number … 4.3 pounds of pressure for every 10 feet of elevation???
Yeah, we might have 100 feet of elevation. 43 psi is workable.
We will have to insulate the tank – bury at least half of it, maybe most.
That’s a wet hillside. Digging a ditch will be rough.
Straw. That’s it, a trailer full of straw under the tank and around the pipe.
We’ll still need some plastic insulation around the sides and top.
How long until morning, anyway?
Am I going to get back to sleep?
BEEP
Beep?
Electrical?
Ah, clock is on. 0200
…
…but my mind doesn’t stop churning.

I finally give up, and get up.

———————————

I share all of this to remind you,

Just start.