Never a dull moment in rural
Minnesota.
At 11:45 p.m. Thursday I was
working on a website journal entry when the power suddenly went out. A call to Xcel Energy to report the problem
and I was informed an accident had occurred. A vehicle had taken out a
transformer pole. Injured motorists and
incapacitated autos had to be evacuated before the power crew could begin the
arduous task of replacing the pole and the transformer.
This time the blackout was
man-made, but most often it isn’t. Bon Bon Pond is connected to a power line
that runs along a heavily wooded road close to the St. Croix River. Named “Fairy Falls” this area is extraordinarily
beautiful but the thick foliage wreaks havoc with power lines whenever the wind
blows.
Fairy Falls, Stillwater, MN
When you lose juice in the
country it also means you’ve lost your water supply, which includes the ability
to flush toilets. We all use wells and
running water without electricity is a no-no as
the pump would lose its prime.
I’ve lived in the country
for most of my years and weathered a lot of problems in the process but power
outages are by far the worst. The electricity did not come back till 12:30
p.m. on Friday—nearly 13 long, hard, dark, dry and miserable hours later.
Country life has
taught me many things, not the least of which is a healthy respect for the
power of Mother Nature and appreciation for modern conveniences—like flush
toilets and a cup of fresh-brewed coffee!
P.S. Bad weather is moving in at the moment. The bird feeders are in and the gazebo
windows closed. It’s time to start the
drill all over again: flashlights-check;
jug of water-check; cell phone charged and
ready-check; prayers to God-check; . . .
