The night before thanks giving, came the heavy wet snow...and the power went out. We sat in the darkness, as I imagined all the times so many , including many of YOU, have been stuck in the winter with no power for so long. We got out the candles, he checked on his phone to discover the reams of people in most towns around us, without power. Called the power company, whose machine voice told us when it should come back on, to the minute. And, yeah, we could have lit the gas stove, but it was such a great excuse to get take out Chinese food; and we never do. So off he went, past all the cars flown off the road, not taking proper heed of the roads; past the trucks trying to resurrect the power, to the restaurant, that HAD power, discovered he had left his wallet at home, talked his way past the cops blocking our little mountain road, to get back home, went back past NEW cars off the road...one little tiny road by two local farms I photograph often- 7 cars in the ditches. Complete with all the tow trucks working away, winching those babies out of those deep ruts. Sigh. Back to the restaurant, back home to me and my daughter's visiting dog (while the kid went out to play and sleepover with friends) and her dog played so happily in the snow, dark night, a leaping and a romping about. Then we all gathered, dogs and cats and humans, round the wheat-free eggrolls and the delicious steaming food, in the candlelight, so quiet and peaceful. Nary a sound. All our faces so soft and muted, nothing electric to use at all. Just being together, within the warm candlelight, eating deliciously. When, all of a sudden, blam, every light blazed on and buzzed and the towns probably came alight just like that, all the homes and kids and cows and coyote out back of the barns, just blaze and it was all back, all the human light, within the deep still night. And then we and our neighbors got all sleepy from all the surprise and excitement and concern about what and when and how long, that turned out small and simple and no big deal... and they all probably did just what we did, 9:00, just tuckered right out from possibility, and went and turned everything off and went deep asleep, under the heavy covers intended for the no heat night, and outside, why, darkness reigned.
