You learn who you are, when the power goes out

The first time it happened, I missed it. Well, most of it.

A huge ice storm hit my end of the world in January 2017 and, well, the lights went out. And the heat. And cable TV. And the internet.

All the things you need to survive.

ALL THE NECESSITIES

It’s funny what you don’t think about, until you have to think about it. Like, how do you stay warm in a house in January when your heat is electric and – you know – the power’s out.

And what about the pipes for all that water you can’t use because you’re on your own well and the pump runs on – you know – power. The power that’s out.

Then you realize, some time on Day 2, that your fridge and freezer are about to become a problem because all that frozen stuff you were meaning to barbecue, or fry, or broil one day isn’t going to stay frozen forever. Because it needs – the power that’s out.

ENOUGH PROBLEMS

“I could come home,” I told Beautiful Wife, being the big, brave husband, who happened to be warm and well-lit and comfortable and watching Netflix when I wasn’t at Holland College teaching because – well, we had power in Charlottetown.

“You suck at sitting in the dark and freezing,” said BW.

Translation: I have enough problems on my hands right now without having to babysit you while you moan about being cold, huddled around a few candles, without the internet.

Reluctantly, I agreed to stay warm, well-lit and watching – well, whatever I wanted.

The power turned back on Friday night around 8 p.m., so I did suffer in the cold, dark, Netflix-less living room, for about two hours. It was awful.

TRANSFORMER ISSUES

A little over a month ago the transformer station about three kilometres from our home decided we’d had it easy for long enough. It went boom.

That’s a technical expression for the station stopped working. It required three huge trucks carrying three huge pieces of replacement equipment to spend half a day getting to us, then a crew in about eight trucks to spend the next two days installing it.

It was cold.

It was dark.

There was no water – or internet.

I was miserable. But we had a small generator, bought by BW in the teeth of the 2017 mess.

“The second the store opened that time, I was at the door. I ran in, put my hand on one of the boxes that looked like a generator, and said ‘That’s mine.’ None of the big men in work boots argued with me.”

Smart move.

GENERATOR QUIT

This time around the generator kept the fridge, freezer, a tiny heater and a single light running for two days.

“You’ll have to get up in the middle of the night to put gas in the thing to keep it running,” BW informed me. I did as I was told.

Then the generator quit. That’s a technical term. Translation: It’s 6 a.m. and I was just about to put more gas in it and it won’t start and it’s still dark and I’m cold and I want my Netflix.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. Running an extension cord from your car to the little heater in your living room at 6 a.m. doesn’t work. The fan on the heater runs. But the heating unit doesn’t.

Talk about a tease.

And trying to sleep in a Honda Civic with the engine running and the heater on isn’t nearly as comfortable as it sounds.

The power came on four hours later. BW told me I’d been very brave the whole time.

350-POUND MACHINE

Until last week. When the transformer station failed. Again.

“I’ve got to wash my hair and shave before I drive three hours to my class at UPEI,” I wailed to BW.

“Go to your mother’s, you have a key, and wash your hair in her sink.”

I did as I was told. The power came on hours later.

Today, two guys who didn’t look like they do this sort of a thing for a living, lugged a 350pound new generator up our back step.

"Get one of those hook-ups to your existing power pole and, if you lose power again, just plug this baby in and you’re on your way,” the salesman said.

BW looked at me and nodded.

“Heat, lights, the internet,” she assured.