The night the lights went out

So why is it that no matter how much planning you do, the impromptu events always seem to come off better? Here's a case in point....

Early Sunday evening a heck of a thunder storm rolled down our street. The sky got black, the wind started to whip, and we could hear thunder rolling closer and closer to us. There even was a tornado warning in the area, so this was going to be one heck of a storm. Suddenly a clap of thunder and a flash of lighting went off that seemed to be right over the house and then the rains came. It started pouring and shortly thereafter the lights went off. Not a big deal as it was still early and in spite of the rotten weather still light out. Only problem was there was a pot of this really nice cheese dip that the kids had been making cooling on the stove....the ELECTRIC stove! So as the rains diminish, we see our neighbor Georgia across the street get into her car. She returned about 20 minutes later with "Blackout Pizza" for us and a couple of other neighbors and the cheese dip problem went away...temporarily!

As often happens with a fast moving storm like this, in a short time it had moved on. The rain stopped, the sky cleared, and the evening sun came back out. Before long the street came back to life and as there still was no electricity, no one was glued to the TV. Our neighbor Doc next door came out to take his dogs for a walk and when he came home we went down to talk to him. Georgia came over from across the street and we thanked her for the pizza. She said that she figured everyone was in the same boat regarding dinner and when she found the pizza place with lights, she thought it was a good idea. I told her about the kids' cheese dip and about our daughter Krissi's plan to submerse it in hot water to heat it up. She said to have Krissi bring it across the street as she has a gas stove! Suddenly a plan was hatched out of nowhere!

As the cheese dip was heating, chips were being put in a bowl, cheese was being cut and other odds and ends were being gathered. Next thing we knew there was a street party commencing on the sidewalk. Plastic tables were grabbed, candles and lanterns appeared as did 6 packs of beer, bottles of wine and drinks of other varieties. As the sun set and night took over our street, a group of 20 plus neighbors gathered to celebrate the lack of electricity by candle light! Was it kismet that there was also a full moon that night throwing some more atmosphere and light on our festivities? Who knows, but as the evening went on more and more folks joined us and our shared blackout experience!

About 9:30 the lights came back on and a cheer went up from the crowd. Everyone was thankful that on another hot summer night there would be air conditioning to sleep with. It was good that the electric was back but it was also sad because I knew that what had started from nothing would soon be over...and I was correct. Within about 5 minutes the group had broken up as people gathered there collective stuff and moved back into their houses. Back to the comfort of air conditioning, the routine of TV, and the Sunday night preparations for yet another week about to start. Before we knew it, there was just an empty sidewalk with no evidence that a party had happened. An impromptu event, born out of a thunder storm and the local utility's inability to keep the lights on.