Unplanned Events
Life is filled with unplanned events that can be majorly inconvenient or turn into a pleasant surprise. The final weekend of May, temperatures reached 101 degrees in the Sacramento Valley and the mid-90s here in the Sierra Foothills. Conversations had already begun in our neighborhood about the need for everyone to clear brush and top lower branches on trees close to our homes. One of my neighbors serves as our block captain, passing along news from local officials and volunteers on how best to keep our properties fire safe, and the need to assemble Go bags and share information with each other on evacuation routes.
Last Thursday morning, my neighborhood had its first power outage while I was in Grass Valley at the Lodge with Kit. By the time I got home, the power was back on but with the extreme heat predicted for the weekend, I knew another outage might soon follow. Indeed, the next morning, I received a text from Pacific Gas & Electric Company reporting they were investigating a 3:38 a.m. unplanned power outage affecting 41,000 households in Nevada County, including our neighborhood.
I’d slept until 6:00 that morning before waking up to no power. Firstly, I opened all the doors to let in some cool morning air, then I headed to the kitchen to fix a coffee using our Italian coffee maker on our gas stovetop that I fired up with a match. I then realized my recent shipment from Wild Alaska Company of frozen salmon, cod, halibut, scallops, and pollack was in the freezer along with two cartons of French vanilla and strawberry ice cream. After my coffee perked, I added a scoop of soft vanilla ice cream, making the best of the situation as I pondered whether or not to wheel out my portable generator.
Blessedly, the power kicked back on at 8 a.m. and the fish filets were still frozen. I then dressed for a walk around the yard with my cat Peekay. I never let him out of my sight because he has the ability to disappear in a golden flash if a bird or squirrel captures his attention. After a 30-minute circuit around the grounds, I put Peekay in his Catio on the deck with a view of the woods, his favorite toys, and fresh water. I was then free to water the potted plants along with my raised redwood bed, and nearby rhododendrons, camelias, and azaleas.
Watering that morning was a meditation that gave me a chance to reflect on the prior evening’s spontaneous decision to attend a play that I’d just learned was being performed for one night only at the historic Nevada Theater in downtown Nevada City. And so it was that five neighbors, along with a local writer friend, her husband, daughter Heidi and I joined a local crowd that filled the theater that night as a spirited cast directed by Sands Hall performed an informal play reading of Theresa Rebeck’s “Theater by the Book: Seminar.”
The Nevada Theater is California’s oldest existing Theater. It opened September 9,1865 and celebrities such as Mark Twain, Jack London, and Emma Nevada appeared on its stage. After closing in 1957, public donations were raised and it reopened May 17, 1957. It underwent major renovations during the 2020 pandemic, reopening after Kit and I arrived in 2021. Since its rebirth, two local theater companies have joined together offering plays performed by local actors, classic movies, theater offerings for children of all ages, and the annual “Wild and Scenic Film Festival” during the winter months.
Unplanned events are a regular part of life, but it is possible to find ways to make such moments positive and memorable. Happily, I did not panic during the two power outages last week or need to drag out our portable generator. The Wild Alaska Company’s shipment of fresh caught fish and my two gallons of ice cream were saved when power returned in timely fashion as promised by PG&E’s crews, and my freezer is now filled with a fresh supply of ice cubes should there be another power outage any time soon.
At the end of a hot weekend, temperatures have cooled back down. I’m breathing in, breathing out, and dealing with life one day at a time. Most importantly, I’m grateful to have family, wonderful neighbors, and an active community that works together to make living in Nevada County a joy.