Call it climate change or call it multi-millennial weather cycles, yet another freak thunderstorm or the cost of care-taking an old house, a test of will and endurance or man (and woman) versus nature. No matter what you call it, the reality is that we are experiencing increasingly erratic meteorological patterns in this usually bucolic and quite predictable Adirondack Coast village.
Last night I was tidily tucked into my seat at the Depot Theatre in Westport, NY enjoying opening night of Boeing, Boeing. Back in Essex at Rosslyn my bride and nieces were slammed with explosive winds and rain. A thunderstorm, according to the weather app on my mobile phone, though thunder and lightning apparently skipped the show. Nevertheless, the power flickered once, twice and then was extinguished.
For a few hours of sweltering humidity they fumbled in the dark, trying to figure out why the still-new Kohler generator installed a summer ago wasn’t working. Again.
This morning we wonder together why the generator has never worked properly despite repeat attempts to identify and resolve the problem(s). The contractor that installed it, the gas company who connected it, and the manufacturer who built it have failed us. Disappointing. And frustrating. Beyond explanation! And yet an increasingly familiar aspect of home ownership in this brave new world.
Is this the new normal?
I was in Essex last night when the storm hit watching Essex Theatre Company’s Much Ado About Nothing. The power went out about half an hour into the show, but the show went on and the cast did a wonderful job only lit by flashlights. There were even a few light/dark quips that were made funnier with an emphasis of the irony that we were all in the dark–and the storm’s first crack of thunder was hilariously well-timed. The lights came back on just as the last lines were being said and the cast took their bows.
Wonderful story, Katie! Only in Essex could a power outage improve a night out on the town.. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your experience.