This morning I woke to that absolute quiet that only a house without electricity has. None of the noises that you aren't aware of until you don't hear them--the hum of the refrigerator, the slight roar of the hot water heater, the happy sound of the alarm system clicking off. Theere's something stagnant about a house without power. It was also a dull, cloudy morning. I took care of the dogs--in and out twice for Sophie who couldn't make up her mind--and went back to bed. But I thought about all the things I could do without power--make potato salad, yoga, read the paper, check email on my phone which was forutnately charged. My big worry was the crockpot of barbecue I'd been letting cook all night--and one of the things I missed when I woke was the smell of it. Turns out the power had only been out about ten minutes--I checked with neighbors. Then it was all over the neighborhood e-mail "Buzz" about what happened: at least one car had struck the utility pole at a major intersection a block away. One story said two cars were racing--at 7:15 in the morning? Please!
I survived, cutting up celery, onion, and potatoes (pre-cooked thank goodness--I learned this trick about cooking them ahead so they're easy to peel, although some recipes call for warm potatoes to soak up the dressing). Made the dressing and dumped it all in--it's been my diet downfall the rest of the day. I love potato salad and this particular recipe--you can find it online if you search for County Line Potato Salad. I timed my trips to the refrigerator carefully--getting everything I needed at one time so I didn't open and shut a lot. Made tuna for my lunch. Opened the refrigerator and shoved everything in, including the bbq which had cooled to warm by now. Just then the power came on--The first clue was not lights but sounds--a beep from my computer, the printer waking itself up. At the same time the sun came out. I decided thanks was due to God and Oncor, more much more to the former.
I took the bbq back out of the fridge, cooked it some more, did my yoga, read the paper, and was ready to collapse. But I still had to shred the cooked meat, cook down the liquid from the crockpot and add the saved-back sauce. Got it all done and took a long nap.
Tonight Jacob is as tired as I am. He had a baseball game followed by a b'day party. I picked up a sweaty, dirty little boy who refuses to take a shower--we'll revisit that in the morning. He turned down a trip to one of his favorite restaurants in favor of chicken nuggets and TV and is now, about 8:30, eating a peanut butter-and-honey sandwich. We'll both be early to bed tonight.
I survived, cutting up celery, onion, and potatoes (pre-cooked thank goodness--I learned this trick about cooking them ahead so they're easy to peel, although some recipes call for warm potatoes to soak up the dressing). Made the dressing and dumped it all in--it's been my diet downfall the rest of the day. I love potato salad and this particular recipe--you can find it online if you search for County Line Potato Salad. I timed my trips to the refrigerator carefully--getting everything I needed at one time so I didn't open and shut a lot. Made tuna for my lunch. Opened the refrigerator and shoved everything in, including the bbq which had cooled to warm by now. Just then the power came on--The first clue was not lights but sounds--a beep from my computer, the printer waking itself up. At the same time the sun came out. I decided thanks was due to God and Oncor, more much more to the former.
I took the bbq back out of the fridge, cooked it some more, did my yoga, read the paper, and was ready to collapse. But I still had to shred the cooked meat, cook down the liquid from the crockpot and add the saved-back sauce. Got it all done and took a long nap.
Tonight Jacob is as tired as I am. He had a baseball game followed by a b'day party. I picked up a sweaty, dirty little boy who refuses to take a shower--we'll revisit that in the morning. He turned down a trip to one of his favorite restaurants in favor of chicken nuggets and TV and is now, about 8:30, eating a peanut butter-and-honey sandwich. We'll both be early to bed tonight.
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