This past weekend, I added electricity to the list of
luxuries that I do not have in the RV. It’s right after “water” but before
“space.”
Since we’re trying to test the propane situation – I seem to
have some sort of leak and it keeps running out – I am running it more, but
have it set even lower than the 65 I normally keep things at in the winter. To
offset this, I’m running two small electric heaters to try to keep things warm.
Friday evening, I took a shower and headed back to the RV to
do some computer stuff, wind down, and watch TV. “Catch Me If You Can” was on,
and Tom Hanks’ character had just captured Frank when, all of a sudden, the
lights, electric heaters and TV just snapped off. No loud noise, no burst, just
a shutdown.
So I fumbled for a flashlight, found the nice one (I have a
nice one and a crappy one. I also have a headlamp somewhere, but that involved
opening cabinets) and went to the fuse box.
Finding no issue there, I went outside my little RV world to
see if where it was plugged into had exploded or melted or something. No dice.
No small animals corpses that might have chewed a cord, either.
So, I knocked on Steve’s door –he was just back from seeing
“Argo” – and he came in to look. I hadn’t pulled out fuses or anything because,
even though I’ve done that before, we just had a situation on offsite housing
where someone made a problem worse by doing that.
Steve got to the fusebox and saw a tripped switch, saying
that was the problem. I said no, see, it was the A/C one. And sure enough, it
didn’t work.
Neither did anything, but by 10 p.m. it didn’t matter. I
told him I’d just go to bed and we could deal with it the next morning.
So I piled on the blankets – the overnight low at freezing –
and did OK. Due to some stress at work, I did have weird dreams, but I managed
all right.
The next day, it was Steve’s to deal with, and as he went
off trying to get someone from the RV place to look at it, I went to volunteer
at a small park, where a person I know was heading a team to rip out
flood-damaged bushes.
That was a lot of fun. I miss yard work! I had the scissor
things for two solid hours, cutting stuff back so it could be dug up completely
later that afternoon.
I had one bizarre moment, as I was trimming some juniper
bushes and trying to get to the ground and pick up all the trash that was under
them.
All of a sudden, I saw a pair of eyes looking back at me. I
drew back, but then realized it was a stuffed animal. Too funny.
After we wiped out the bushes and loaded the trash bin
(similar to the one we had for Gray’s stuff), we went to someone’s house and
had Jimmie John’s.
Their house had been flooded, and it was the first house I’d
been in that had been flooded (three feet of water on the first flood for three
weeks) and restored.
The house was right by the river cutoff and was HIGH up. The
water was likely 9-10 feet high but did not do much (comparative) damage to
their 1914-built home. The basement was ruined, I think, but they decided to
not repair that one.
The home was beautiful, and very creative. Even prior to the
flood, they had a faux brick wall I thought was real. I was looking at the
before-and-after photos and was surprised to find a brick wall had been
replaced by a yellow drywall one. She said oh, no, I’d painted the wall before
to make it look like brick. Talent I don’t have.
After that, I headed to the library and got Hunger Games.
Got back, washed my sheets and took a nap, then, still without power and
finding out the earliest someone could look was Monday, I went to the rec
chapel to watch FSU.
Steve strung an extension cord to my RV for heat, but
really, it was 55 outside and there was no need. I figured I’d run the electric
blankets and night and then plugged in the Direct TV so Steve could watch
whatever in his RV – I have the control box ones.
So I read Hunger Games and watched FSU rebound from its
horrid last week. Went back to the RV and realized I hadn’t brought a
flashlight with me and it was not only pitch dark, but I had an extension cord
somewhere. Fumbled around and did OK. No broken bones.
Took a shower and figured I’d go ahead and finish Hunger
Games before heading back and to bed. Now I need to find the second book.
Sunday, still without power, I went to an award presentation
for someone and then hung out again in the rec chapel and church office. More
“Arrested Development,” and I’d also gotten Not Without My Daughter at the
library (banned book week!). I’ve read that one before.
Today, it’s back to normal, I guess, though I still don’t
have power. Steve is dealing with that, but it was a fabulous weekend to not
have electricity. It was 60-something yesterday and is supposed to be 70 today.
So it could have been worse.
Still no word on when/where I am moving, but my supervisor
is back for a few days so maybe it will get resolved.
There’s lots that has to be resolved in the next few days.
Most people know what I’m talking about but if not and you want to know, email
me.
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