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A near accident for my dog Winnie. No heat. No power. No Internet. A loss of community. [1]

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Date: 2022-12-12

Winnie, my five-year old BFF

The chain of events for us started on Saturday at about 5:30 p.m. I had taken my beloved eight-pound dog Winnie, whom I’d rescued three years earlier from a shelter, for a walk before a storm. It was already dark, and cold for Winnie and me. We both were wearing our winter clothes, and I was using my phone as a flashlight, when I tripped on a raised sidewalk, dropped and broke my phone, and hurt my ankle and my left wrist, which I used to break my fall.

At midnight, when I took Winnie outside (she has a small bladder and can’t sleep through the night), the rain was pounding, but she won’t use a pee pad and this is our nightly ritual. So, wearing a raincoat with a hood and holding an umbrella to protect Winnie, who was wearing a water-proofed padded vest, I slightly limped as I carried her out the French door to the backyard. I was walking on the pavers towards the grass, when a Eugenia branch, 20 feet away and laden with leaves, cracked and fell on the grass, where Winnie would have been standing had I put her down.

My heart seemed to stop, tears came to my eyes, I tightly hugged Winnie, and looked upward. It was one of those “Thank you God moments.” And, after I started breathing again, I put down the umbrella, moved the branch, Winnie did her business, I carried her into the house, and removed our outerwear. She scampered ahead, and I slowly walked to the bedroom, emotionally exhausted by the tragedy that might have been. She immediately fell asleep. It took me hours.

When we awakened the next morning, the rain had stopped, but there was no power, no heat, and no Internet. Initially, it wasn’t a problem. I still was tired from the ordeal, and my wrist and ankle hurt so I took a hot bubble bath, and rested much of the day. And, my son used his cell phone to try and learn when the power and the Internet would be restored, and what had caused the outage.

Oddly enough, he couldn’t find news of it. I forgot to tell him to check the local newspaper online, but it should have been carried by the local TV stations, and he couldn't find it. Throughout the day, he checked the Department of Water and Power site, but our neighborhood wasn’t included in the list, and typing in our zip code provided nothing. He found an adjacent neighborhood, and allegedly power had been restored there by 2:00 p.m. but ours wasn’t until 7:00. He used a Spectrum site to check the Internet.

By 4:00 p.m. I was getting concerned. Our house was becoming very cold for an 8-pound dog, even one wearing a padded vest. I didn't understand why our gas heater wasn’t working, and couldn’t look it up until today. Evidently, it depends upon an ignition system that won’t work without electricity.

And, I couldn’t feed Winnie because she eats home-cooked chicken, and I needed the cooktop to make it. I ended up giving her canned tuna, which she ate for dinner, but wouldn’t eat earlier.

I missed the Internet because I have become somewhat of a hermit, and it is my connection to the outside world. Also, because of vision issues, these days, I have difficulty reading books, and am dependent upon the lighted screen. And, I missed connecting with the Daily Kos community.

When I went to bed last night, I felt lonely, sad, and concerned about our situation. When, I awakened this morning, the Internet was working, and I felt so much better.

Today, I decided to write this diary, just to touch base. I need to research phones and replace mine, and buy Winnie dog food to keep in the pantry. But, at some point in the next week, I’ll use the Internet to try and figure out what supplies I need to buy so that we are protected in a real emergency.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/12/2141460/-A-near-accident-for-my-dog-Winnie-No-heat-No-power-No-Internet-A-loss-of-community

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