Ike decided to visit
Ohio. I didn't really expect it, but my checking the
weather slides on weekends, particularly when I'm visiting my girl. But one could hardly avoid noticing 70 MPH winds, and trees flopping around like balloons in the
jet stream. Particularly when a foot thick branch decided to leap Nancy's neighbor's lawn to land squarely in hers. Actually calling it a 'branch' considerably understates matters. It was big enough to rank as a
tree. Fortunately, a section of chain link fence was the only significant casualty.
But Ike was a big storm down in Texas and he stayed big all the way across Lake Erie. I headed home on Sunday fully aware that the power was down all across Ohio. In fact, I-71 seemed like a blackout zone. Only one exit had a lit gas station in 100 miles. Cincinnati was dark except for one or two spots. Downtown Columbus was brilliant, but I expect that as downtown power lines are run underground. But my neighborhood was dark as a porter stout. Strangely enough though, I noticed rays of light from my over-crowded corner gas station. My lights were on. My stereo fired up! My computer was fine.
Considering how my friends were doing, no internet seemed an insignificant penalty. Particularly when you consider Galveston. Expecting a very long workday, I headed for bed.
About two in the morning something woke me up. Flashing yellow lights outside. Men talking, close. The clinking noise of metal tools. A glance outside the window told me it was the power company.
Then I heard Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!. It was loud too, the sound of bacon frying. Only frying bacon smells a lot better. And bacon doesn't glow green. Day-glo green light flooded in my windows. My cat bolted for under the bed. Then the noise stopped and with it the light.
Slowly, Zathras poked his head out from beneath the bed. I heard the men discussing something, and thought about getting up for a look.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!
More green light, bright. I could almost read by it. It stops. Twice more i hear the sound and see the light. Then it stops and I hear the sound of diesel engines firing up, the linemen moving on.
The next morning I noticed caution tape on the sidewalk next to my house. I went over to look. Two of three power lines down. And a meter wide patch of blackened grass on my lawn.
Now I know why the light was green.