POP-POP-FIZZ-FIZZ I WONDER WHERE OUR POWER IS

 EARLY AUTUMN COLORS

It was about 9:15 Wednesday night while reaching for my jar of peanut butter in the fridge I heard a sort of pop-pop-fizz-fizz and I found myself in total darkness.  Couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.  I had noticed just moments before how strong the wind gusts were outside.  Obviously, something blew down somewhere and took our power out.  Looking out the window I could not see any lights on anywhere.  That was a good thing because it meant it wasn't just our house knocked out, it was the whole Park.  Power outages are nothing new for us here so I simply proceeded to locate myself a flashlight to begin setting things up to operate in the darkness for a probable long time.  Candles and matches-check!  Spare water jugs-check!  Kelly's emergency battery operated radio-check!  Peanut butter-check!  Warmer PJ's for a cool night ahead-check!  Half a dozen other things plus etc, etc, and etc.-check!  Luckily I had my Kindle so I could at least read.  I fell asleep sometime after midnight and the power was still off.

 WHEN IN DOUBT, THINK MUSHROOMS

Waking up around 6 this morning I could see right away we were still in the dark.  No computer, no TV, no lights, no coffee, no guff.  Fixed up Pheebs breakfast and shortly after that we were in the Jeep with the heater going full tilt.  It had been getting cool in the house.  Our first stop was Bayfield's Tim Hortons for a hot coffee and I splurged on a muffin for a change.  We cruised around the countryside for an hour or so before heading home.  I was hoping the power would be on when we got there.  It wasn't.  Needless to say, it was a slow morning around the house.  Crappy music on all the commercial radio stations so that wasn't a help but just about anything is better for me than that total icy stone-cold silence in the house some people prefer.  Power is one of those things that almost everyone takes for granted until you don't have it.  It's like the old Ral Donner song from the sixties, 'You Don't Know What You Got Until You Lose It'.  I don't think Ral had a power outage in mind with that song though.  I do think it's a good thing for everyone to have a little power outage once in a while just to keep them in touch with a few basic primitive realities.  

 A RELAXING MORNING

 YES, THAT BARN DOOR IS DEFINITELY RED

I was standing in the kitchen about 11:40 this morning when all of a sudden there was a reversed pop-pop-fizz-fizz and the power was back on.  I think that power outage worked out to about fourteen and a half hours.  Nothing of course compared to many folks who have had to endure days, weeks, and sometimes months without power.

Cloudy and cool here all day with a few spits of rain thrown in.  It is very rare for me to have a headache but I had one chase me around for most of the day and I ended up feeling like I had been dragged through a keyhole.  Kelly phoned again and that of course perked me up.  I'm hoping Pheebs and I can resume our walking schedule starting Friday morning.

GROANER'S CORNER:((    What men say and what it really means::

- "I can't find it." Really means: "It didn't fall into my outstretched hands, so I'm completely clueless."
- "That's women's work." Really means: "It's dirty, difficult and thankless."
- "Will you marry me?" Really means: "Both my roommates have moved out, I can't find the washer, and there is no more peanut butter."
- "It's a guy thing." Really means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical."
- "Can I help with dinner?" Really means: "Why isn't it already on the table?"
- "It would take too long to explain." Really means: "I have no idea how it works."
- "I'm getting more exercise lately." Really means: "The batteries in the remote are dead."
- "We're going to be late." Really means: "Now I have a legitimate excuse to drive like a maniac."
- "Take a break, honey, you're worrying too hard." Really means: "I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner."
- "That's interesting, dear." Really means: "Are you still talking?"
- "Honey, we don't need material things to prove our love." Really means: "I forgot our anniversary again."
- "It's really a good movie." Really means: "It's got guns, knives, fast cars, and good looking women."
- "You know how bad my memory is." Really means: "I remember the words to the theme song of "F Troop", the address of the first girl I kissed, the Vehicle Identification Number of every car I've ever owned, but I forgot your birthday."
- "Oh, don't fuss. I just cut myself. It's no big deal." Really means: "I have actually severed a limb, but will bleed to death before I admit I'm hurt."
- "I do help around the house." Really means: "I once threw a dirty towel near the laundry basket."
- "What did I do this time?" Really means: "What did you catch me doing?"
- "She's one of the rabid feminists." Really means: "She refused to make my coffee."
"I heard you." Really means: "I haven't the foggiest clue what you just said, and am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you don't spend the next 3 days yelling at me."
- "You really look terrific in that outfit." Really means: "Please don't try on another outfit. I'm starving."
- "I missed you." Really means: "I can't find my sock drawer, the kids are hungry and we are out of toilet paper."
- "I'm not lost. I know exactly where we are." Really means: "No one will ever see us alive again."
- "We share the housework." Really means: "I make the messes. She cleans them up."
- "I don't need to read the instructions." Really means: "I am perfectly capable of messing it up without printed help."

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