Well. That was Exciting!

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I mentioned in my last post that more thunderstorms were expected later in the day. They arrived. I got a few shots of the first one moving in before I wimped out and went home to escape the rain. The last couple of images are from this morning at Liberty Point where it was, once again, raining. So, they’re not great but they’re the best of the few I took. 🙂

Anyway, I was standing in my living room during one of storms, watching the people in a pickup at the water’s edge enjoying the show, when …

There was an extremely loud CRACK and my house shook. A lot.

The cats booted it upstairs and the dog tried to hide under the washing machine. (I told you he’s an idiot.) The pickup took off at top speed. I guess watching a storm in the distance is much more relaxing than having a house next to you get hit by lightning.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what happened. 🙂 I was on the phone at the time and said that the house had been hit and that lightning rods obviously work. (LOL Probably why they’ve been used for centuries!) My power stayed on for a little while and then everything on the Island shut down. I don’t think I’m responsible.

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There were at least two casualties at my place. The first was my own fault – although to be fair it wasn’t a conscious decision and logic disappears briefly in these circumstances.

The person I was talking to on the phone was making a quick trip to Deer Island. He insisted I go out and check for any fires that might have started. If any brain cells had been operational it would have occurred to us that the pouring rain would probably make fire unlikely. Still, I went outside.

I can’t describe what was happening at that point as “rain”. I mean, I spent most of my life on the Wet Coast and I am familiar with “rain”. What I walked into was more like the Gods taking a giant bucket of water and dumping it on me.

Unfortunately I was still on the phone. l might as well have just thrown it into the Bay as it was working but the screen went black. Luckily the person on the other end hung up because I couldn’t. Weirdly, I then heard my phone dialing some number. A voice answered and I asked who they were. It was Ahuva. In New Jersey. My phone decided to call New Jersey.

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She could only hear about 1 out of every 8 words (storms aren’t good for cell phone clarity). I could tell she understood a bit of what I was saying but not much. Lightning rods she got – please hang up she didn’t. Remember I couldn’t hang up myself. Finally she said she was just going to hang up and I put it somewhere safe to dry out. (I did text her later from a friend’s phone to say everything was OK.)

The other obvious casualty was the internet. Power was restored after about 3 hours and I checked the computer. The surge protector worked and everything seems fine, but my modem was not so lucky. So, I had no cell phone and no internet (much like my life for the first 40 years). Friends were concerned because that also meant I had no TV. What would I do with myself? Um, books?

The good news is that, when I first moved here, Bell Aliant sent me 2 modems for some reason. I asked the technician who got me set up what to do with the 2nd one – he said I should keep it. Luckily I did. However, I still had to tell the Corporate Powers-That-Be to acknowledge it. This meant waiting for a phone I could borrow. As you can tell by this post, all was sorted out successfully.

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Unfortunately, the phone screen is still black. I know the phone is working because it pings, and rings, and does everything it usually does. I just can’t see what’s going on. Remember, I just got this phone. I’m really annoyed at myself that I didn’t think to leave it inside.

Apart from being inconvenient, this phone situation does complicate things. It’s all very well to have 2-step verification involving a number texted to you (think bank, gov’t resources, etc.,), but that assumes you haven’t drowned your technology in an Island-wide waterfall.

I have to go to Saint John on Monday for some tests (just routine). I’ll take the injured party to the smart people and see what it’s going to take to get it fixed.

In the meantime, I’ll revert to that period of my life when I wasn’t immediately accessible 7/24. I will also thank the Universe for Ben Franklin and his lightning rod.

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