No, this is not a political message. My house has been without electricity since yesterday morning. Warning signs came a day and two before, but we didn’t get the message…and even if we had, I doubt anyone would have found the problem. A couple of days ago, the outdoor outlet that we wanted to use to power Christmas lights wasn’t working. It is on the same circuit as the master bathroom and my alarm clock was on the fritz too. I checked the circuit breakers and all were in the ON position, then finally I thought to push the little red Reset button on the switch in the bathroom and all was well…or so I thought.
I spent Christmas day cooking (thank you Julia Child; and thanks girlfriend for lending me the cookbook) — butterflied leg of lamb with dijon marinade, tomatoes provencale, broiled peppers and asparagus drizzled with olive oil and pepper. Another girlfriend came early and made the mashed potatoes – lots of butter and half-and-half, yum. Other contributions included wine and sparkling cidar, guacamole, rolls, and our youngest guest and her mom brought wonderful homebaked Christmas cookies. Just as we were about to sit down to eat, the lights began to flicker ominously, but the power did not actually go out. So we turned off a few light switches, lit a few candles, and enjoyed the food and friendship.
It wasn’t until yesterday morning that the power went out, pretty much throughout the house with the exception of the guestroom and the stove and one bathroom light. No heat, no cable tv, no cable modem, no outdoor Christmas lights…. The Edison man came out and found the problem inside the service panel — a fat bundle of copper wires that connect to a clip of some sort were no longer connected, and the bundle was visibly frayed and fried. “Not our problem,” said the Edison man. “Your electrician will have to fix this…but don’t let him tell you that you need a whole new panel.
Christmas having fallen on a Sunday meant that yesterday was an extra holiday, and my contractor, who is also a master craftsman of several trades including electrical, was out of town. “Run an extension cord from the guest room to the refrigerator, and I’ll be there first thing on Tuesday,” he told me when I rang his cell phone. I guess that’s the contractor’s equivalent to “take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”
True to his word, the crew arrived this morning to finish off some detail work from the renovation and to handle the new “emergency.” If it’s not one thing, it’s another. I’ve just now got my power back and have a lot of catching up to do. Sometime tomorrow I’ll post pix of the newly renovated kitchen and family room.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and is ready to ring in the new year.