Something was wrong.
Yep, something was wrong when the gadget in my car refused to open up the garage door. I figured the battery died. It wasn't the first time that happened. So, I parked the car, and got out to use the little key code box by the garage.
The door still didn't open.
It was time to leave the car parked where it was and go in the house to explore. When I checked the button in my garage that I push to open the door, the light was off there as well. Now, that was more than unusual. This time I wondered how much it might cost to fix the dang thing. Whatever that would be, it was a lot more than the cost of a battery.
Okay, so sometimes I'm just not as perceptive as I would like to be. There was nothing wrong with my garage door or its accompanying buttons. Nothing needed to be fixed or replaced. A large chunk of Columbus was experiencing a power outage. I guess that can happen anywhere when the temperature is in the mid-nineties. Who doesn't want air-conditioning on days like that?
Boy Scouts are always prepared. Always. At least if you believe their motto is followed. I was anything but prepared. I was smack dab in the middle of a First World crisis.
Now, I lived in my Peace Corps days without electricity. That meant no refrigeration, no television, no computer, no lights and no problems. It wasn't nearly as difficult as it sounds. But, I was prepared. Instead of refrigeration, I went to the market on a daily basis or I went to one of the local cook shops for a meal. I had a radio for entertainment and this was well before the days of computers and the Internet. And, I was very well-rested. Kerosene lamps lull me to sleep. When the sun went down around seven in the evening, it was time to go to bed.
There were other ways to get around the lack of electricity. If you had friends with a generator, you could watch videos on their television. Our treat in Zwedru was when the local nuns decided to have a party. Cold drinks and a movie! It was a little bit of heaven on earth.
Now days, little solar panels dot the roof tops of homes across Liberia. The panels provide enough power to light their homes in the evening. That would have rocked my Peace Corps experience. And, there are also little charging shops that will power up your rechargeable batteries so you can have radios, cell phones, computers and a variety of other modern necessities. If you are prepared, you know what you need to do to get by.
But, I was not prepared in Ohio.
So much of my life revolves around my computer. I might be editing some of my writing. You could find me illustrating stories for one of the books I'm working on, but that requires research. And, where you might ask does anyone do research these days? The answer would not please Jiminy Cricket because it certainly isn't the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeencyclopedia. And, even if my computer was working, my internet was down.
The power was out all afternoon. Eventually, some time that afternoon, I wanted something to eat. Now, in Liberia, I knew how to light up charcoal on my coal pot to prepare a meal. Usually, I preferred it when my Liberian friends joined me - and I let them do the cooking. But, I had the needed supplies. In Ohio, I have an electric oven and stove. They weren't going to cook a thing for me. My microwave was as good as dead. Useless. Actually, I have a little grill. I've had it for about ten years. I've never once taken it out of its box. I had no lighter fluid or charcoal any way. It did me no good.
The only thing in my home that didn't need cooking was tuna. But, I have an electric can opener. I remained hungry. I thought about it for a while. "Surely, somewhere in this kitchen, I have to have a regular can opener? I have to, don't I?" And, so I opened up drawers and shuffled through gadgets that I once thought I needed but rarely use. In a canister in the corner of my kitchen, I found a can opener. Actually, it was a really nice one. It worked perfectly well. So, my meal - as well as my life - was saved.
Humorously, every time I use an electric can opener, my two cats come running to the kitchen. They know they'll get tuna nine times out of ten. I thought, "This time they aren't going to hear an electric gadget. I'll eat the contents without their cries for a treat. There will be no sharing today, buddies." But, nope. It didn't happen that way. I have psychic cats. They came running from distant corners of the house with the first twist of the hand-held gadget. I have no idea how that happened. It's their super power and I could have used a super power myself. I'm quite sure that Superman could have used his laser vision to bake a potato or two for me.
So, what do you do when you can not do what you normally do? I read. No, I didn't have any books lying around that I was dying to read. But, I had downloaded something on my laptop. I could read to my heart's content, and then some, as long as the battery lasted. So I curled up in a favorite chair, without a hint of a fan or air-conditioning, and sweltered as I enjoyed a good read. Fortunately for me, the battery lasted longer than the power outage.
Usually, always, there are too many distractions that demand my attention. There's just so much that "needs" to be done. But, not on this day. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I spent an entire afternoon wrapped up with a good read. Quite possibly, it might have been when I lived in Liberia. I read an awful lot of good books during my Peace Corps experience. I may not be much more prepared the next time there is a power outage. But, I've learned one thing from this non-Boy Scout experience. I'm going to have a good paper book set aside because I really enjoy a real, honest-to-goodness, page-turner in my hands.
Yep, something was wrong when the gadget in my car refused to open up the garage door. I figured the battery died. It wasn't the first time that happened. So, I parked the car, and got out to use the little key code box by the garage.
The door still didn't open.
It was time to leave the car parked where it was and go in the house to explore. When I checked the button in my garage that I push to open the door, the light was off there as well. Now, that was more than unusual. This time I wondered how much it might cost to fix the dang thing. Whatever that would be, it was a lot more than the cost of a battery.
Okay, so sometimes I'm just not as perceptive as I would like to be. There was nothing wrong with my garage door or its accompanying buttons. Nothing needed to be fixed or replaced. A large chunk of Columbus was experiencing a power outage. I guess that can happen anywhere when the temperature is in the mid-nineties. Who doesn't want air-conditioning on days like that?
Boy Scouts are always prepared. Always. At least if you believe their motto is followed. I was anything but prepared. I was smack dab in the middle of a First World crisis.
Now, I lived in my Peace Corps days without electricity. That meant no refrigeration, no television, no computer, no lights and no problems. It wasn't nearly as difficult as it sounds. But, I was prepared. Instead of refrigeration, I went to the market on a daily basis or I went to one of the local cook shops for a meal. I had a radio for entertainment and this was well before the days of computers and the Internet. And, I was very well-rested. Kerosene lamps lull me to sleep. When the sun went down around seven in the evening, it was time to go to bed.
There were other ways to get around the lack of electricity. If you had friends with a generator, you could watch videos on their television. Our treat in Zwedru was when the local nuns decided to have a party. Cold drinks and a movie! It was a little bit of heaven on earth.
Now days, little solar panels dot the roof tops of homes across Liberia. The panels provide enough power to light their homes in the evening. That would have rocked my Peace Corps experience. And, there are also little charging shops that will power up your rechargeable batteries so you can have radios, cell phones, computers and a variety of other modern necessities. If you are prepared, you know what you need to do to get by.
But, I was not prepared in Ohio.
So much of my life revolves around my computer. I might be editing some of my writing. You could find me illustrating stories for one of the books I'm working on, but that requires research. And, where you might ask does anyone do research these days? The answer would not please Jiminy Cricket because it certainly isn't the eeeeeeeeeeeeeeencyclopedia. And, even if my computer was working, my internet was down.
The power was out all afternoon. Eventually, some time that afternoon, I wanted something to eat. Now, in Liberia, I knew how to light up charcoal on my coal pot to prepare a meal. Usually, I preferred it when my Liberian friends joined me - and I let them do the cooking. But, I had the needed supplies. In Ohio, I have an electric oven and stove. They weren't going to cook a thing for me. My microwave was as good as dead. Useless. Actually, I have a little grill. I've had it for about ten years. I've never once taken it out of its box. I had no lighter fluid or charcoal any way. It did me no good.
The only thing in my home that didn't need cooking was tuna. But, I have an electric can opener. I remained hungry. I thought about it for a while. "Surely, somewhere in this kitchen, I have to have a regular can opener? I have to, don't I?" And, so I opened up drawers and shuffled through gadgets that I once thought I needed but rarely use. In a canister in the corner of my kitchen, I found a can opener. Actually, it was a really nice one. It worked perfectly well. So, my meal - as well as my life - was saved.
Humorously, every time I use an electric can opener, my two cats come running to the kitchen. They know they'll get tuna nine times out of ten. I thought, "This time they aren't going to hear an electric gadget. I'll eat the contents without their cries for a treat. There will be no sharing today, buddies." But, nope. It didn't happen that way. I have psychic cats. They came running from distant corners of the house with the first twist of the hand-held gadget. I have no idea how that happened. It's their super power and I could have used a super power myself. I'm quite sure that Superman could have used his laser vision to bake a potato or two for me.
So, what do you do when you can not do what you normally do? I read. No, I didn't have any books lying around that I was dying to read. But, I had downloaded something on my laptop. I could read to my heart's content, and then some, as long as the battery lasted. So I curled up in a favorite chair, without a hint of a fan or air-conditioning, and sweltered as I enjoyed a good read. Fortunately for me, the battery lasted longer than the power outage.
Usually, always, there are too many distractions that demand my attention. There's just so much that "needs" to be done. But, not on this day. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time I spent an entire afternoon wrapped up with a good read. Quite possibly, it might have been when I lived in Liberia. I read an awful lot of good books during my Peace Corps experience. I may not be much more prepared the next time there is a power outage. But, I've learned one thing from this non-Boy Scout experience. I'm going to have a good paper book set aside because I really enjoy a real, honest-to-goodness, page-turner in my hands.
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