It's Been That Kind of Day . . .

by Marsha Ward

I woke up to a beeping from the Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) beside my bed, The UPS unit is a link between my Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine and the electricity at the wall plug. The UPS only beeps to alert someone that it has switched to battery to power whatever is plugged into it.

What that all means is this morning brought a "power outage."

I staggered out of bed, sleep deprived once again. Looking out the window, I discovered that Thursday night's rain had turned to snow sometime long enough ago that four inches had accumulated.

Power outages are par for the course in Rim Country when it snows. No one can predict if a snowfall will cut power or not, but it's always best to be prepared. That's why I have both my computer and the CPAP hooked up to UPS units. They provide power for a limited amount of time, until I can take care of what needs looking after.

I put on my glasses and stumbled into the office to shut down the computer. Once I did that, the dark cold hours stretched before me.

Fortunately, I still had a dial tone. I called the power company to report the outage, using the old-fashioned phone that I'll never get rid of. It's extremely hard to replace, I've discovered. Fancy cordless phones are a dime-a-dozen, but just try to buy a phone that doesn't require an electrical cord!

I puttered around the house, striving to keep warm. I read a book. I took a phone call. I went to the bathroom, armed with a lantern. The phone rang again. I make it a rule never to run to answer the phone. Whoever it is can call again, if it is really that important.

I began another book. My cell phone rang. I took the call. Then I decided to take a nap to get warm, but just then the power came back on. I turned up the furnace, which, although it is gas-powered, ignites through electricity. I had just settled back to watch a classic Star Trek episode when the power went off again. I called the utility to report the new outage.

Now the power is back, but who knows for how long? It's just been that kind of a day.

I hope you had a more productive day. What did you do?