I woke up at 4 A.M. with the carbon monoxide detecter going off. Not because we were in danger of dying, but because there was a severe brown-out. Lights were at about one tenth of their normal brightness. It was driving me crazy because everybody knows how hard that can be on electric appliances, televisions, and so forth. Cliff suggested I throw the main breaker, which solved that problem. At our house, anyhow. Sister-in-law next door is working nights at present, so our old house was still experiencing the problem. Not to mention the pump in our well. I called Kansas City Power and Light to report my problem to an automated program. I called again to give them Cliff's sister's number as well. With no water and no electricity, going back to bed seemed like the wisest option; I'd stay warm a lot longer there. Unfortunately, I couldn't possibly go to sleep because I was busy worrying; Cliff was doing the same, beside me. The granddaughters had spent the night, and the house was getting steadily colder. I got up, roused both of them to tell them if they woke up cold to let us know and Cliff would take them home. Later when they got up, neither of them remembered my being in their rooms in the wee hours of the morning. They awoke at eight, and I got Cliff out of bed so he could take them to their warm house. About that time, he noticed a faucet dripping in the sink and said, "I think the power's back on; otherwise there wouldn't be water coming out." I turned on the main breaker and sure enough, we were in business. At one point, right after I got out of bed, I stepped outside in order to see which neighbors' dusk-to-dawn lights were still operating; misery loves company, you know. The sun was just starting to come up; the temperature was about eighteen degrees. A flock of geese flew straight out of the sunrise, as it were, honking in unison. I wish I could have somehow captured that moment, but I doubt my camera would have done it justice; you just had to be there. I did take some pictures after the geese were long gone. Click on them to see them larger.
Just imagine a couple of big "V's" of geese flying out of the left side of that picture where there's the most light. It was magical.
This one was taken a couple of minutes later, and I didn't intend to take any more.
After awhile, though, I peeked outside in hopes of seeing a KCPL truck coming to save us.
I briefly forgot about the lack of electricity when I saw the Kentucky Coffee Bean tree in silhouette against the sunrise.
It was almost worth the power outage. Almost. I pulled out the old camper coffeepot, thanked God that we have a propane kitchen range, and made coffee with the little bit of water I'd managed to milk from the lines as the pump went idle. I turned on a couple of burners for heat, got out the portable battery-operated radio I used to keep at the cabin, and listened to an all-request country music call-in show on KMZU playing wonderful oldies. It wasn't really such a bad morning, even if I did have both pajamas and sweats on, inside my Carhartts.
It struck me this morning how often Cliff and I have soup in the winter. Since last Friday we've had ox-tail soup, chili, and the turkey frame soup I made just yesterday from turkey broth and tidbits of meat I had tucked away in the freezer. Turkey soup is our absolute favorite; as we were enjoying it for dinner yesterday, I told Cliff, "This is better than pizza!" Those who know me are aware that's saying a lot. I dream about Pizza Hut super-supreme hand-tossed pizza. We don't use Campbell's. The soup we consume around here is hearty and filling and home-made. Campbells is over-salted water, as far as I'm concerned. How many servings of vegetables, and how much actual meat, do you get from one bowl? It couldn't be much. I noticed an article in Dr. Kevin's medical journal that said even doctors don't eat the recommended three servings of veggies and two of fruit each day. Cliff and I come pretty close to meeting that recommendation, I'd say; there are plenty of vegetables incorporated into the soups and casseroles I make. I serve microwaved sweet potatoes often, and cooked cabbage and beets and spinach and green beans and carrots. We go through three pounds of onions at least every other week. We don't eat them raw; they just happen to be a vital ingredient in most of the recipes I use. As for fruit, both of us usually have at least an apple and a banana each day. So, although we do have problems leaving sweets alone and controlling our weight, at least we're doing something right.
As for that old commercial, it brings back sweet memories for me: When I'd go spend a week in the city with my sister each summer as a kid, our lunch was usually Campbell's soup and a peanut butter sandwich, served right on the dot at noon. Soup and a sandwich never tasted better than at my sister's house.
