Sunday, February 5, 2023

The Ruby Rose Report: The Night the Lights Went Out

 



The humans I have been studying have become increasingly erratic. I can't imagine these two living without a dog; they wouldn't last two days.

Mid-week, they began to fret about the weather. According to the all-knowing woman living in the tiny disc in the kitchen, frigid air was coming, and it would be the worst deep freeze ever. The weather was added to the list of things that would kill them: Variants, tots with guns, caravans of migrants driving up 95 to take your house, Chinese balloons, and Jewish space lasers.

I wasn't worried. The last time I stepped on the ground, standard time had yet to begin. I pee inside more and hit the target more frequently than my dad. I run errands with my parents but am safely in my bag. I hope it is insulated,

The wind howled ferociously and slammed into our tiny house built by Three Little Pigs Construction. I knew I needed to stay near my parents, so I wouldn't get lost when the house blew away like Dorothy on her way to Oz. I was sitting on Mommy's lap, hoping to anchor her to the soft recliner because if we did take flight, I demanded to fly in comfort when suddenly we were in the dark, as our power went out.

My mom hates when that happens, plus with the cold, the threat of frozen pipes, and believing the pukwudgies were not done with us, she tensely waited for the power to return; my parents were no longer connected to their devices, and they reverted to what they did in the 80s, sitting in the dark, listening to each other breathe and praying for the sweet release of death.

But I refused to go into the cold night so quickly. Do you know how parents make a disaster plan and have a bag with everything they need to survive a catastrophe? Me neither: I became worried when I realized my parents were woefully unprepared.

In the dark, my dad turned on the faucets to keep them from freezing, and it made me think somewhere in the house, an old man had broken in and was relieving himself.

He then found the flashlights in the closet. One didn't work, one barely worked, and one was shaped like a lantern, which caused me to mistake him for Bray Wyatt and bark ferociously at him.



He had learned that, when in a blackout, shine a flashlight at the blank TV screen for more excellent illumination. Sadly, a short-circuiting firefly gave off more light than the flashlights.

Then he began looking for the candles hidden in a Tupperware container in the laundry room closet. He opened it, then, because he doesn't smoke, was slightly less successful at striking a match than Charle Brown was at kicking the football.

The candles were scented, which did not give off much light but would cover the smell of decaying bodies when someone checked on us in the spring.

Daddy got out the blankets, then found a podcast about mental health and people wanting to kill themselves, and it made me think of technology. The Donner party had to bring depressing books that made them wander into the dark woods and die with them, but thanks to the iPhone, they are readily available for people who want to be pushed to the edge but don't want to risk eye strain.

Luckily the lights came on before total despair set in,  the pipes froze, and most importantly, I missed supper.

16 comments:

  1. Gads, How amazing the power came back in time for your supper!! Thanks for the laughs, though!

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    1. That was from us, Dalton & Benji...petcretary's brain has mushified we think.

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  2. That must have been scary. We heard it got pretty cold in Massachusetts. It would have been really bad if you didn't have any heat. But most thankfully the power came back on just in time to get you your dinner:)

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

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  3. Ruby thank goodness you didn't have to eat in that l the dark! So you dad can strike a match? That's terrible and her needs to take a survivalist class! The Wild Ones

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  4. Well, as long as you didn't miss dinner!

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  5. Always keeping your eyes on the prize, Ruby!
    We are glad that you didn't have to feast off the corpses of your people, while the candles made the air smell flowery.

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  6. It's always unsettling when the power goes off. We're glad your dinner was on time. BOL!

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  7. Losing your power in frigid temps is not for the weak. All you can do is pray and hope for the very best, Ruby.

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  8. oHHHHHHHHHHHHHH RUBY ROSE THEY ARE SO FORTUNATE TO HAVE YOU. In fact, so fortunate I think now is the time to ask for an increase in treats. Frozen pipes are a fear even down here in Dixie. Christmas weekend here we had 2 nights of 10 and 11 with feels like -4
    and the wind she was a blowin'
    hugs Cecilia

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  9. Practice eating in the dark so you're ready for the next disaster. Mackey can eat in wind, rain, tornados and dark of night. She's much more reliable than the postal carriers who can only show up on balmy 70 degree days with no wind.

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  10. Ruby! Darling! Your adventure into a cold night without power thankfully came to a quick close. We love that you told us how woefully prepared your Peeps are - I, Marv shall get on my Peep's case! Our Go Bags only come out during fire season (they are a tripping hazard but make excellent sleeping spots for cats). Keep being awesome! Purrs Marv

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  11. Whew...We are so glad the lights came back on before dinnertime, that would have been a true disaster!
    xoxo,
    Sunny and Rosy

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  12. My sister was without electricity for several days during all the storms she had and she was miserable with the cold. Awful.

    Have a woof woof day and week, Ruby Rose. My best to your mom. ♥

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  13. Well double hooray for the electric coming back on, that could have been pretty bad!

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  14. Oh my! That sounds like a terrible scary night. Thank goodness you were there to keep your humans focused on what is really important...your dinner!

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  15. What a scary night! Glad you all survived! We've had some power losses over the years. The Ice Storm of 1991 knocked out our power for a week. Not fun!

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