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The Victoria

GAZETTE

         It was the first day of winter for us here in Victoria and it arrived with some warning but also some surprises.  It was Saturday, November 13th, sort of a free Saturday for Allan and me so we planned on driving to Mom and Dad’s for the day.  One look out the window that morning, however, told us it wasn’t good weather to be traveling very far. 

         All right, we can easily change plans.  There’s always the Mall of America, strolling the shops, watching the hustle and bustle, dining on sushi, and being part of the World at Large.  But that option was also not in the cards.  As a matter of fact, if there is an opposite to the Mall of America, we unexpectedly traveled there when the heavy wet snow dropped us, along with many of the area’s power lines, into Peace on Earth.

         We were heading out of the neighborhood already about 9:30 that morning and were surprised to see the deep ruts of snow and ice on Park Drive.  Our own driveway and streets were barely powdered, and we came to realize it was because much of the weather had gotten caught up in our trees, like cobwebs that collect dust.

         We struggled turning onto Highway 5, even with four-wheel drive, and the highway was slippier than a banana on linoleum.  Not fun.  Three cars were in the ditch in our short mile to the Victoria Post Office. 

         Back home we went, thankful to be safe and snug as a bug in a rug, coming up with all kinds of things to tackle like laundry and lunch, Gazette work for me, Wayzata work for Allan, then a movie and popcorn downstairs. 

         About 11 a.m. or so, all of the above plans also went out the window, down the drain, up in smoke.  Call it anything you want.  In the blink of an eye, the power went out and our computers went black and blank with a simultaneous flash and a high pitched squeak.

         I hardly noticed that the lights had also gone out, as well as the television in my office.  Computers can do that to you.  The utter silence in the house revealed it wasn’t simply a circuit breaker issue.  All things dependent on electricity were out of commission.  Our “list of things to do” was, therefore, also out of commission.

         With very limited options, we decided to read and rest, I on the couch and Allan in his nearby chair.  We promptly dozed off, waking to a cold chill in the house.  The power was still off and, therefore, also our furnace.

         We started the fireplace upstairs, retrieved a battery operated boom box and some of my favorite classical music, and returned with reading material to the couch and the chair -- both big, comfy, old, worn, soft leather pieces (I’m talking about the furniture) -- and our respective afghans.  I use the afghan from my mother; Allan uses one from his mother.  The quiet was deafening.

         “How about some green tea?” he asks as the afternoon wears on.

         “Sure,” I said.  He goes out to his detached garage, digs out a Coleman stove from our camping days, and heats a tea kettle of water.

         A little later he asks, “How about some hot chocolate?”

         “Sure,” I said.  The tea kettle was getting a real workout.  The music was good.  The fireplace and afghans kept us comfortable.  Everything was at a standstill including the beautiful snow-covered trees outside our windows.  It was Peace on Earth and we weren’t even looking for it.

         Since city plows had by now gone through our neighborhood, we ventured to Victoria for an early supper.  Half the street lights in town were on and half were off.  We were glad that the restaurants were on the well-lit side.   Part way through supper, Cowboy Tom walks into the Victoria House and we all smiled at the unplanned encounter.  He joined us and we lingered for a while longer, enjoying the camaraderie and good will of the evening.

         Back home the house was down to 60 degrees, which is an excellent sleeping temperature provided you have enough blankets and quilts.  We do. 

         The next morning the house was 57 degrees -- obviously the electricity and heat were still off -- and it was time to be concerned about the freezer full of food downstairs.  Allan returned to his detached garage, dug out the big generator, rolled it to the downstairs window by the back door, and plugged in the furnace and the freezer.

         As the temperature in the house started to climb, the lights flickered on, the televisions started talking, and the computers squeaked again.  We had been without electrical power for 24 hours, which allowed another power to take over for a while -- the power of peace and quiet.

         May this beautiful time of the year bring all of us a little more Peace on Earth as we wait in great anticipation for the Light of the World.

December 2010

From the Editor