it's been a strange few days

when the power went down in all of San Diego county and Baja i have to admit my first thought was is this another incident of terrorism

finding out some individual cause a hiccup in Gila Bend that reverberated like an earthquake west to the Pacific was a sigh of relief in comparison to what more it may have been

my adrenalin drive kicked into gear and my first thoughts were for my neighbor who would suffer miserably without Air Conditioning...when at first we heard via the car radio that the power might not be back for a few days i was thinking

ICE

i ran as quickly as possible to the nearest store for as much ice as my frig and freezer could handle

the temp in Lakeside that day was 105*

and poor George my neighbor would never bear up under that kind of heat .....his wife was on vacation trout fishing in Alaska with a brother there...so except for friends George was on his own

Oliver was here for yet another cure for worms and parasites...i'd taken him that AM for a loop stool specimen re-check and French Bulldogs can tolerate heat

in my minds eye i could see both he and George laying side by side packed in ice as the temp went up in our unairconditioned mobiles...after the ice was procured i ran across the street to see how Eleanor was faring ...she is quite elderly and has a daily caregiver...her church family showed up and removed her to a safe environment

all the neighbors met in the street to plan our nightfall strategy...and i passed out my many jar candles to those who had none...i complained that if i was still living on the Oregon coast i'd have kerosene lamps and a gas powered generator

i still have all Bobby and my cold weather wear carefully folded in the trunk of the car should we ever need it...a hangover from living in the "Great Northwest"..

.lol...no need for that!!!

fortunately Carrie my niece arrived and took the pup off my hands to transport him to a cooler clime...University Heights

i made roast beef sandwiches and salad and we waited for the sun to go down

Bobby complained he was going to miss the Green Bay vs New Orleans game...and i complained i was going to miss the first airing of a Merchant Ivory film on TCM

except for the ice we didn't go out

and we were forced to talk to one another...a rare treat for me!!!

i looked forward to seeing stars without all the city lights to dull them

but Bobby was agitated by our change in routine and paced away most of the evening

Lakeside was quiet

slowly it cooled and the weather became more and more pleasant

the stars blinked on saying..."let there be light"

i find myself so tearful today...i know i'm capable of finding my way thru the most difficult personal times and times for our country too...there is power in the remembering...that we are all neighbors meant to take care of each other come what may

casadiego1 put this list up on Don Bauders blog and i think it's a good one

Things we discovered we appreciated that night:

1) glow sticks- four hour light ! 99 cents each

2) our gas grill

3) the natural air conditioning of living close to the beach

4) 266 sunny days a year for solar powered gadgets

5) stores and bars that stayed open, and handled the stampedes efficiently and graciously

6) the bonding effect with our community: impromptu gatherings, cookouts, marshmallow roasts and general hang time on the beach

as a Lakeside resident i want to implement number 3 immediately!!!