Yesterday evening, after teaching in St. Louis, I returned home to check up on the house and pick up some clothes for today. The power was still out, but to my delight, the neighborhood was overrun by at least 11 utility trucks in a riot of flashing orange lights and spotlights.

I figured the end was near, so I decided to grab dinner (my wife was in a rehearsal until 10pm) and hang around rather than stray too far away. When I returned after an impatient dinner, there were even more utility trucks and more activity. With growing optimism and excitment, I rounded the corner onto my street and the lights were on!

This was at 8:45pm, just two minutes shy of 144 hours without electricity or heat. That’s six full days (for all of my musician friends) and my anger in the aftermath will be the subject of tomorrow’s post. After tomorrow, I’ll let it go, I promise…