Magic Flamingos

 

I know that I have shown you my solar powered lawn flamingos. They certainly helped last evening when we had to climb the flight of stairs to our house. Most of us who live in cities are so used to the light pollution that we don’t even notice it. Until the power is out and block after block of houses are dark. As we drove from Shana’s home in Richmond back to Berkeley, there were lights, traffic signals and a significant amount of traffic. Starting from San Pablo onto Marin, at the traffic circle we head up Los Angeles which comes to end at Spruce. The west side, the downhill side, is brightly lit. The east side is totally dark. Right onto Spruce, left on Eunice up the hill to Euclid. Dark, all dark.

Inside the house, it was really dark. Borrowing a couple of matches from Dani (she and Alex had tea lights every votive they owned arrayed on their kitchen counter) I found a couple of large scented candle jars. This is fire season – I only wanted flames safely inside glass containers. I could have done without the scents – but hey, you use what you have,

Then I remembered the birthday present Shana gave me (correction – she says Carmen is to blame! Carmen emailed, she swears that flamingo is Canadian. But then it would be like the Canada geese, no passport. Canada Flamingo? The final estimate is that I can jointly blame Carmen and Stu).

A plastic flamingo

No biggie, right?

But it turns out he does this!

LED Flamingo

which is very bright in a dark room

Bright enough to use as an alternate to a phone for a flashlight. Just about bright enough for me to start and monitor George’s IV antibiotics (which will finally finish on Wednesday).

And bright enough to use as a nightlight as I staggered around the place this morning, getting ready for the drive into San Francisco. The traffic was horrible. Ok, probably not as bad as DC, NY or LA, but I am not driving there now am I?

As it turned out, the trip was well worth it – platelet transfusion as expected. But no blood required so we were back out of the city before noon. Even better, he doesn’t have to return till Thursday (rather than Wed & Fri) so I am more than pleased. There is actually a chance I might actually get a chance to sleep in one morning.

It was about 1430, Dani and I were upstairs looking for potential costume materials for her when my stereo started blasting. We looked at each other. She flipped the light switch – there was LIGHT!

The power was back on. I am not going to count on it lasting. The winds are due to pick up again tomorrow. But I am taking advantage of it for the moment. Shana is spared having to feed us supper again. There is hot water! The kettle works! I can actually see to hook up IVs. For that matter, I can even charge my phone.

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About Holly

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!
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12 Responses to Magic Flamingos

  1. Ron says:

    A good news day with a high platelet count and power coming back.

    There is even a small flamingo colony living in the wild in Bavaria.

    At the rate the world is warming, they’ll soon be in Canada as well.

    • Holly says:

      It was a good day.

      Flamingos do live a lot of different places. Canada? Mostly zoos for the moment…

  2. Cat says:

    This is why we went for a gas cook top as well as electric oven. We can always make a hot drink and cook something. I hope your power stays on but the news service pictures made me wonder – even allowing for their general way of getting things wrong it didn’t look good.

    • Holly Doyne says:

      Looks like we will be skipped on this next round of shutoffs. But I will be shopping daily for a while, not interested in tossing any more food than absolutely necessary.

  3. Anita says:

    God bless the flashy flamingos, right?

  4. Carmen says:

    It was a joint effort.
    I think I might have spotted it first but we both agreed you needed it.

  5. Ann says:

    What an experience!
    I hope this ends soon.
    So glad George is doing better and coming to the end of the current treatments.
    Love the flamingo!

  6. Alison says:

    I love that George is doing so well. I love that whole flamingo letting there be light thing. I love that you have Shana nearby. And yay for electricity!

  7. Vicki says:

    Geez Holly, what an ordeal. Fortunately it sounds like you have a good grip on everything that’s been thrown your way. How is George holding up? Glad to hear they are decreasing how often he needs to be seen and that the antibiotics are about finished. I hope the fires stay well away from you, it’s beyond horrible what’s happening with the fires, thousands evacuated. Keeping all of you in our prayers.

  8. Mitch says:

    Blue flamingos?????????????????

    What a travesty. Flamingos are PINK!

  9. Isobel says:

    Love the flamingos.

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