Depending on your point of view, you’re either very lucky or unlucky that this post is being published today. We are on day 3 of the nor’easter, which has been mostly about wind, and today, lots of rain. But on Saturday at around 1 pm, our cable/internet/and phones stopped working and we didn’t get it back until sometime in the early hours of this morning.
The hardest thing was contacting our provider as we had no WiFi and had to go outside, walk here and there and attempt to get some sort of LTE signal. Meanwhile, the wind was blowing, leaves were hitting us in the face, and we were shouting into the phone. The outage covered our neighborhood and well beyond, I think.
So we couldn’t watch the final episode of a series that night. We actually had to sit and talk to each other! (Actually, we love talking to each other.) I couldn’t check on the news, which wasn’t at all a bad thing. No scrolling through Instagram. At one point on Saturday evening, we got in the car and drove to our local supermarket, where we were able to pick up a strong signal and checked our email. Then we drove around the neighborhood for a while. Same thing yesterday – we went to our local library and used their WiFi. While we were there, we ran into two people who were also without cable, internet, etc. We had a nice chat, commiserating about the whole thing. That’s when I learned one of them had heard from our provider and that restoration was to be at 2 am this morning. I still didn’t trust that, but when we got up this morning it was back on. Thankfully, we never lost electricity.
Boy, we sure are dependent on all these things that were certainly not necessities, or even in existence, when we were growing up. But we learned we could exist without them.
Don loved it because we did things we normally wouldn’t do – changed it up a little – and he’s all for that. Interestingly, in the middle of the whole thing, a text came through on my phone and it was my niece, who was in Sydney, Australia with her daughter! Couldn’t make a local call, but I got a text from Australia.
Quite the adventure!
I’m going to count my blessings and read today.
Stay safe.
Happy Monday.
Good Morning Claudia! I am glad you got your internet back and that you had power all weekend. It is amazing how quickly we become “attached” to these marvels of technology and forget how to get by without them! When I was a teenager my family took a “left turn”… we left suburbia for the rural life in backwoods Maine (our telephone was a shared “partyline” which amused us greatly.) We heated with only wood but did have electricity. My Uncle and Aunt in NH lived without electricity or running water for about eight years before the town decided to extend the network up their road. They had propane lamps (and kerosene ones) and propane refrigerator and cooker but heated with only woodstoves. No running water… the well was in the yard and the buckets by the door… old fashioned outhouse… you get the picture. It was a sort of half way back to the nineteenth century… they did have telephone service! But we learned so much from Not having all the conveniences of the modern world. It was hard work though and time consuming. And of course, nobody had internet, and even then TV reception in the hills was abysmal… it really was a different world.
Enjoy your connectivity… I am glad to see you are posting today. We are still in the rain today but the wind has not been too bad here. :)
Yes, rain here, but the wind has stopped. Hurrah!
Stay safe, Betsy.
It shows how dependent we are on our phones and computers. Glad you got it back but it’s nice to have the peace and quiet when it is down.
My monitor went out last week and I found out that I had lots more time to read or clean or take a walk as I wasn’t “wasting” time on my computer. Missed reading my favorite blogs, tho. ;)
There’s a certain amount of time spent on devices that could be called ‘wasting’ but for the most part, I use my devices to keep informed, visit my fellow bloggers and friends on IG, etc. It’s not essential, but I would really miss it. You just have to regulate the amount of time spent online. I do a lot of work on the dollhouse, and I read a lot, and work outside. It all balances out.
I’m glad to hear all is restored again for you. When we lose internet/cable, we always lose power too. You were lucky in that respect. Did you get lots of rain, too? I heard there is lots of flooding on the coast.
Getting out of your routine is always good, I’ve found. It shakes things up a bit…more adventures. Enjoy your day! ;)
I’m surprised we didn’t lose power. But it was power related because our provider had to wait for the utility company to do some initia. repairs.
Thanks so much, Donnamae.
Stay safe.
Sounds like such a different kind of weekend. Im like your hubby, I would love it too.
Ive been wanting to get away by myself for a long time. Take a walk by the lake, watch a movie, read, sleep. The town is about 1/2 hr from the lodge out there. But I lost my driver’s license and cant get there.
Im like a social person, but not really. I like things really quiet too. Even my husband can just be too much. The old dog can be too much.
Thinking outside of myself can feel so good.
Thanks Irene!
Stay safe.
Voluntarily staying off devices is one thing but not having service so one has no choice is another. I’m not the biggest user of tech and don’t do social media at all (except for commenting on a handful of blogs) but I would miss my phone for texts and emails. For me, the cell phone went from a luxury to a necessity.
Stay safe and make good choices during the storms. California is supposed to have a rough wet winter with a huge El Niño.
Thanks so much, Wendy.
Stay safe.
Glad you all are doing OK during this stormy weather. Yes, we are so dependent on our internet / wifi / cells now, lol. Our AT&T went done last month on a Friday morning at 10 AM and mine didn’t come back up until Saturday at 11:10 AM – that was one of those VERY large outages, several states in the SE southern region (FL, GA, part of TN and SC). As long as I still have power (though I do have emergency lights), I can watch my DVD series (I have many of them, mostly tudor / royalty ones) and other DVDs too. And read, read, read !!! Glad you never lost power !!! All the best, Dawn P. Albany, GA
Our DVD player no longer works, or we’d have watched one.
Thanks so much, Dawn.
Stay safe.
glad you and don made it through the wind, rain and tech power outage, and didn’t lose electricity! after a very rainy month here so far, today it is sunny and 77 degrees. may our pretty and easy weather soon reach everyone affected by the nor’easter.
hope you are enjoying a long day of reading.
taking it easy here after a morning walk, then three hours at church (food donations, a couple calls, and a fox sleeping in the parking lot). doing some laundry now, will get back to paper-sorting, and finish knitting a hat before bedtime.
it’s day six of the (bug-bite-induced) jowl. thankfully, it no longer itches. just looks bad. again thankfully, it will go away. soon, i hope!
happy, safe monday to everyone.
kathy
I sure hope that bite and swelling clear up soon, Kathy.
Stay safe.
I am glad everything is back on and communication is restored. I loose it and get partially unglued when I loose internet . I get disappointed in myself
because it is an over reaction and so it goes.
I hope everyday the weather improves.
Take Care,
Kaye
Thank you, Kaye.
All is well.
Stay safe.
Last time my power went out for hours I felt lost, but it turned out ok except for no a/c. I do keep a fan with batteries just in case. I am lucky if my Kindle is charged and I can continue to read with a book already downloaded. We are do dependent on our devices and electricity. I just read an interesting book about what we would become if the infrastructure collapsed. The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. I really enjoyed it and always love a book that makes me think!! enjoy your week!!
That sounds like a fascinating book, Linda.
Stay safe.
I’m with Don. It’s OK — unless there is a medical emergency. But if you have everything else you need, it can be OK! I’m glad you’re both safe and it doesn’t sound like damage to the house, so good!
No damage, thank goodness.
Thanks, Jeanie.
Stay safe.