Like I didn’t want to move more than anything already…..

Day two of no power in our area. 20% of the downtown core was out due to a massive underground fire, but most of the area seems to be getting back up now while our corner of the world still has a big red circle over it and a note that says we may not get power back until Thursday morning.

One night of camping out in one’s own home isn’t so bad. I had sewing until 9 pm and I had stopped after work to pick up water and batteries for my flashlight, knowing exactly where they were in case of emergency. There was a security guard stationed at our front door for the night, so that was reassuring being on my own and knowing some friends in the building had claimed refugee status and moved out Pitt Meadows for the night. It was still light when I got home so I had time to scramble for more candles and matches (non-smokers don’t keep lighters in the house, ya know).

The poor kitties were quite freaked out - they are so sensitive to smells (fires burning nearby all day) and sounds (in this case, lack of sounds as for a change the downtown eastside was eerily quiet). The little guy kept staring at the waterfall in the courtyard outside my window like he could will it to turn back on.

I lit a bunch of candles and crawled into bed to read by the light of my Coleman camping light still a bit hungry from only having a quick salmon roll and a Twix for dinner. My stomach growling, I remembered to “rescue” the melting ice cream from the freezer so I could have a wee snack. It was too quiet to sleep so I read for longer than usual and comforted the kitties who were pacing like mad. The little girl kept coming up to my face and meowing with concern (very unusual for her after a meal), then trying to settle in after a few good back pats. The boy stood guard at my head for most of the night. At some point they moved back to the living room to keep watch out the window.

It was a cold shower this morning (luckily I washed my hair yesterday), makeup done on the patio in the sunlight, no breakfast even though I’d stocked my fridge on the weekend with lots of healthy food to get me through to meals on Wednesday (all of which will now be thrown out) and then off to check to see if Frida the Fit was still where I left her on the street since our parkade is electronically activated and I couldn’t get back in last night. Luckily she was there and without a scratch as the looting the police had been concerned about never happened. The only sound I could hear last night was the low whirring of generators and the occasional siren of a police cruiser stopping someone outside. It was the first time a siren ever made me feel slightly comforted.

If I didn’t have an appointment at St Paul’s first thing in the morning, I’d be moving the kits into the Best Western next door to the office, but alas, another night of no power seems to be ahead of me. Luckily my sweetie is coming down after boy’s night to keep me company and help me sleep.