One Week in Solitary

Well, not quite, but it seems that way. Not only are we pretty much still in lockdown, but our Internet and power have been sporadic all week.

Monday, a couple of fellows in a Comcast truck came by and said they needed to work on the pole in the middle of the yard. No problem. They were out there for a while, and shortly after they left we discovered we had no Internet – which means we had no TV, phone, or computers. I called Comcast on Tuesday and after being on hold for fifteen minutes (Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be told – repeatedly – that I could always file a trouble report online when I am calling from a cellphone?) I finally got a young man who insisted I had to give him our Comcast account number. I looked in the file cabinet, but no joy there. I did ask why he couldn’t just find it via our phone number or address, but he said he’d lose his job, so I didn’t push. He offered to call back in an hour, by which time I hoped The Squire would be home to find the paperwork.

By the time The Squire got home it was past the hour, so he called Comcast himself. Sure enough, when the person who answered verified the account – by the bloody phone number! – she said she’d send somebody out right away. Within a half an hour, we had somebody here who checked the line and told us he would call for a crew. As it turned out, this was the same crew who had been out here in mid-July when somebody had slammed into the pole. They had to call the Flagger Force to set out cones and direct traffic, plus bringing out the cherry-pickers. As one of the crew said, “This road is as bad as the Interstate.”

Soooo – today I saw a man walking down the drive and sent The Squire out to intercept him. Neither of us were dressed to entertain guests, but he could pull on a pair of pants more quickly than I could get dressed. Back in July, the crew had bolted a piece on the side of the broken pole, but this had been a temporary measure. The pole needed to be removed and replaced, and once more, we were without power! More Flagger Force and traffic cones. (At this rate, we’ll be able to claim them as dependents on our taxes. ) Frankly, I wonder what the neighbors think, with the utility company out here three times in less than a month.

This time it was about three hours. To be honest, being without lights isn’t bad, and I can still use the gas stove, but not having the A/C was murder. I had a discussion with some friends about doing without indoor plumbing or air conditioning, and having done without both, I’d rather have the A/C. Although, to to honest, there’s only so much Poo-Pourri can do when flushing means a trip to the pond for a bucket of water!

By the way, the Comcast folder was on the shelf; The Squire had pulled it out to look at something one day last week and hadn’t put it back.