...everyone born before electricity was invented? Because we now know what it is like to live without electricity! I would have pictures, but it was too dark to take any.
We were notified about 3 weeks ago that we had a problem in our electrical box outside. SO, we called an electrician and he ripped into the box and found that things were much more deteriorated than we thought. We had to get a new electrical panel... I thought "okay, so we are thinking, a few hundred and he can replace it today?" I say "Nay, Nay", I didn't realize that I would have to get a building permit. I got the permit ($170, ouch, for a piece of paper!), then we had to get SRP to shut off the power, and were told that it would be off from 8 am to 2 pm. I got to know our electrician pretty well and found out his older brother graduated with me from Mesa High (anyone remember Kirk Huffaker?)
Well, 2 pm came rolling around, the panel was finished, and the City of Mesa had sent it's clearance to SRP to come out and inspect and turn the power on. Nope! They sent the wrong kind of inspector out and the right kind had gone home for the day. We were stuck. So, we went to Walmart, got some flashlights and a lantern (that are going into the 72 hour kit) and saw where we were lacking in the preparedness arena. We also realized that in the case of a real emergency, Arby's wouldn't be open for dinner... we can do better.
Finally after many minutes on the phone the next morning (Cold night, everyone bundled and Hayden slept in between Curt and I) the right inspector showed up, and finally around 1:30 we had power again. I have never been so happy to hear the refrigerator running, the heat turn on and reset the clocks!
I have never thought that I was spoiled, but now realize that I am... I have to have a TV, Radio and computer. I got a lot of cross stitching done, but it was too quiet, other than the airplanes flying overhead. I hope that we never have to go 36 hours without power again, but now I can slightly sympathize with people back East who lose their power in storms and such, but at least it wasn't Mother Nature who took ours out and the problem was soved fairly easily... Also, our house is a bit safer and the electrical box won't be exploding anytime soon.
3 comments:
wow shellee, never a dull moment in the mellor house. i know what that is like. not too many months ago our power went out when a genious ran into a light pole during a storm. it was off for like 12 hours, and it was hot!!! poor nathan had to work the midnight shift, so his sleeping during the day didn't go so well. we went to my mom's, but nate wanted to brave it here, and hope for the best. thank goodness for walmart, and flashlights. now we have several for each person.
You know me, it sounds like fun. I know I'm alittle crazy but that's me. We would do stuff like that as a kid, not turn off the power just not use it. Makes me glad that my parents made me laren to start a fire and do all the camping things, ask Ross I do them better then he does.
What a great trial run for disaster preparedness. Maybe we will try this for FHE, maybe not 36 hours, but maybe one.
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