Because I am going to s c r e a m. Just been informed that the power will be off tomorrow from 10am until 4pm. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhh No power. No computer. No television. No music. And with this heat [yeah, the heatwave is still bad], no fans or a/c. Also the only landline telephones I have are in the kitchen and my bedroom - and patience not being something generally known here, if the phone rings and you do not answer within four rings the caller hangs up. All my other telephones and extensions are cordless so of course, no power, no phones at hand everywhere. My refrigerator and freezers will be fine, but my water machine will not and I will not be able to use a kettle for my coffee. Looks like I will have to revert to my three-burner gas hob, which I have not used since the beginning of the summer when I had to start keeping all my windows open. I do not know what the macolet will do as it needs power for the lights and everything at the cash dek, barcode reader, computer, till, weighing plate etc - the whole Moshav will be affected. I have emergency lights and lanterns but even though they are probably good enough to read by, my eyes are not good enough to read a book for more than a page or two. Oh well, it will only be for six hours, but it will seem a very long six hours for me.
I can't remember last time our power went off, but it doesn't bother me anyway if it goes off, as I got my aga to cook on plus my old fashion whistling kettle for making drinks (have melted x amounts of electric kettles that's we now have whistling kettle) we also got hurricane lamps for lighting if need be
It is a nuisance, but perhaps it does us good to occasionally be reminded just how many things we take for granted these days. As long as it's only VERY occasionally that is!
I am not bothered so much about lights as I have small foldable rechargeable lights and have checked them all - two needed a top up so that is now being done, the rest seem fully charged. Even though they are rarely in use for more than an hour, I regularly check them and recharge if necessary. I also have a couple of lights that stay plugged in and which come on if the power goes off - both can be unplugged and used wherever I want them [until they run out of charge!] Plus torches everywhere - rechargeable and battery ones. What I will miss most is my computer - and my microwave. Oh, and my induction hob although of course I have the gas hob. What is puzzling me though is how come my neighbour knew as she has not been home since last Thursday morning, and I was over the road this morning collecting my mail - I had seen the guy turn up so went over to see if any of my orders had arrived, and then into the macolet. And neither the old boy who does the mail nor Hai at the macolet said anything about the power going off, yet my neighbour, who is at one of her brothers somewhere, knew? No computer though - what on earth will I do all day?
Thank you for reminding me Chris. I have a couple of large flasks and if the power is not going off until 10am I will be able to use my water machine to make a flask of coffee. I am not bothered about cooking as I am still eating salads - not yet weather for hot meals. But playing with Tikki for six hours? Knowing her, after her loony rushing around in the morning she will probably sleep for most of the time the power is off! Just had a thought. If the whole Moshav is going to be without power, how are the schools/kindergartens going to cope? I have lived on the Moshav for over 21 years now, and apart from a few very localised power cuts which have lasted a maximum of two hours, this is the first time that the whole Moshav will be without power. I wonder why they are not starting until 10am though, as work like that usually starts 7 or 8am.
They turned off the power on my son's estate from 10 'til 4 last Tuesday. It was something to do with upgrading the power lines. No problem for him because he came here to us for the duration
I have just telephoned Hevrat Hashmal - the electricity company, and from what I could understand [I cannot even cope with very fast talk even in English because of my hearing loss, let alone Ivrit] - there is a recorded message giving details of all areas in Israel where there will be power outtages. It seems like it will be in places all over the country - here, it is from 9.30am until 2 or 2.30pm - which gives me enough time to make my morning protein shake [need my small liquidiser to chomble up the bananas] - and sort out coffee. Because it was a recorded message and it is impossible to get through to a real person, I had better get going, with whatever I need here and also do a ketchup on my email stuff. See you all later - I hope.
Yes, well, Hevrat Hashmal turned up with a cherry picker to cut down the top of the ginormous tree [dunno what it is] next door the other side. And chucked all the large cut off branches into my front yard. Tiktok went bananas and so did I. Managed to plonk out on my crutches and told the guys to remove the branches or else... dunno what the or else would have been but I just got the "why?" stare so managed to get hold of one huge branch and somehow dragged it into the road - which did not please passing cars. Especially the one that nearly hit me. So that driver stopped, got out, and told the guys to clear all the branches from my yard, and stood there until they had removed them all. But that tree is next door - not in my yard - I have a palm thingy [not one of those on a tall trunk but one with palm fronds growing from the ground which is at the side of my front yard and that tree is a good few metres away from it, in next door's yard. OK, it had to be cut down as our telephone and power cables are overhead and this tree was [I cannot think of the word...] well, whatever the word is, the branches were getting tangled up with the cables. To be honest I wish they would have taken the tree off from its base as it has yellow flowers and then leaves and those twirly seed things, that all end up all over my yard and my patio. Whether that was why the power had been turned off I do not know, but it was around 11am and only off for less than an hour. Strictly speaking it is the responsibility of the old boy who lives next door that side - the two sons and their families who lived in extensions to the original bungalow both moved out some time back. Not before one had gotten through and removed the six white plastic high-back armchairs I had put behind The Shack for the winter a few years ago as I did not want them kept out in the front. So much for my neighbour this side saying the power would be off from 10am to 4pm, then Hevrat Hashmal saying 9.30am - 2 or 2.30pm. And me panicking to get all re-chargeables charged up!
