BLACKOUT

There was a loud "pop".

The screen went dark and I was suddenly disconnected from the world, expelled from the grid. The lights were out, too. No way to work in paint or pixels.

I keep one of those flashlights that charges in a wall socket, then flashes on when the power goes out. It was the only light in the studio. Made me feel smart to be even so minimally prepared. I grabbed it and went upstairs to check on Mary, then outdoors to make sure that it wasn't just our house. No, the neighborhood was dark, though the houses and streetlights only a block north were glowing normally. I talked to the neighbors who were also assessing the situation. We were all using flashlights. Since we didn't point them in each other's faces, it was like talking to invisible people, but, unlike most times, they talked back. Somebody had called the utilities company and had been told that it would be two to three hours before power would be restored.

Mary had lit some candles. She went to bed, but it was too early for me. I took the candles downstairs and began to write this little piece for the blog.

Are the crickets always this loud?

I am not a back-to-nature kind of guy. I like my modern conveniences. My faith in the power company is such that I do not contemplate buying a generator or stocking up on supplies or investing in weapons. I do not yearn for this adjournment from electricity to become a lifestyle. I am content to be dependent on those whose skills and knowledge will get the juice flowing again. But I do hope that some of them have invested in some form of my artwork, even just a puzzle or collector plate, to help complete the circle of life.