I got the power UPDATED

Well, I do now anyway.

Not so this morning. We woke up to a cold, dark house. After yesterday's water issue, I wasn't graciously accepting of now having "power issues."

Dirtman can never sleep through anything like this. He's got to know what's going on. So he was out of bed early offering to take care of what is first priority around here. He drove into Toms Brook for coffee (and to see what was going on -- though he won't admit that).

First, though, he did help Heir 2 clear the snow off his car (yeah, it figures. Months of warm lovely mornings. Then, the first frosty morning: no heat.) Just a skiff of snow and I'm really ticked off at Dominion Virginia for ruining the first snowfall for me -- well, actually I guess I should be ticked at the guy who skidded into the pole* that took out the power that ruined the first snowfall for me (...that lived in the house that Jack built).

As for me, I was pinned in bed by the cat.

No, I swear. At any rate, I had no intention of getting up before it was time.

The dogs had other ideas and by the time Dirtman got back I was agreeable enough (after a swig of coffee) to help feed and juggle canines -- which, while it is possible to be done by one person, really requires two. (Especially the last few days and in the weeks to come: Abby has become a woman -- i.e., she's entered her first heat. This is incidental to most of the dogs around here, except for Hokie, who we hoped would be going away to camp for the duration. But we decided against it, so the poor guy is left to pine and pace.)

We were out of power until around noon, by which time we were cold and cranky. Okay I was cold and cranky. Dirtman was, for the most part, asleep.

So I got a lot of knitting done on a very practical shawl (I'm all about practical projects lately) to cover my shoulders when I'm sitting by the window knitting in the office/diningroom. I could turn up the electric heat (at least, when it's working) or I can throw on the shawl. The shawl is cheaper. The Heirs have made me promise to wear the fingerless mitts -- they call them my "bum gloves" -- and talk with a Cockney accent while I do this.

This is not normal for me. At least I had some water saved for drinking and so we could brush our teeth. My survivalist streak is well known and I can't remember ever being so ill prepared for an emergency. All my disaster stuff is gone, though. No Coleman stove, no propane heater, no hurricane lamps.

We do, however, have plenty of dried beans (My beanage is also well known). Apparently the bankruptcy trustee had no interest in my beans.

*I'm hoping the person is okay, though. But, honestly, people take that road he was on way too fast in good weather. In icy weather? You really need to slow down. But I don't wish the person ill, only as miserable a morning as all of us in this area have had with no heat.

UPDATE: Guy said he was okay and refused to be checked out. They sent him home.