Powerless

I managed to stay relatively dry on the ride home.
I got lucky and shot the gap between two thunderstorms with lightning flashing on the horizons to the east and west of me.
It was an exhilarating feeling which I'm sure was lost on the car drivers with whom I shared the road. They probably barely noticed the weather that had my full attention.
Here and there, I'd encounter wet pavement where rain had fallen minutes earlier. My pants were wet with spray from the knees down, but otherwise I was dry.
I pulled into the garage just as the storm to the west arrived and began pelting me with fat raindrops.
I quickly discovered that the electricity was off, which explained why the local banki's time and temperature sign was dark when I rode into town.
That was about two hours ago and we're still without electricity.
The storm that hit as I arrived home was a noisy one and a couple of lightning bolts a short distance to the southeast sent Ruthie into a frenzy of barking and Pete into a state of profound terror.
Morgan, who had arrived home from her restaurant job a few minutes earlier, said Pete seemed to sense the approaching storm even before the first rumbles of thunder. He was holed up in his kennel, burrowed deep into the ratty gray blanket that represents safety to him.
Now, with the storm long gone, he's very subdued. His ears are back and his usual Aussie playfulness is gone.
I'm sure he's suffering with memories of the night some weeks ago when he and Ruthie were stuck on the back deck when a thunderstorm swept through and sent him fleeing in terror into the night - a blind run through strange territory that left him lost and wandering our little town for the next 36 hours until we found him and brought him home.
In the meantime, we're stuck without electricity. Morgan just phoned her grandmother on the north end of town to confirm that we're not the only folks without power.
It's getting on toward dinner time and, without the means to cook, we'll likely be forced to drive until we find a restaurant that isn't blacked out.
I suppose I should give Maria a call and see when she expects to get home, so we can make some plans.

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Sent from my Treo