My Novels

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Ghost Trouble

This morning I was ironing and the overhead light flickered, got brighter, then went out. The iron also stopped working. The particular overhead light/ceiling fan in that bedroom has done this several times, and DH has checked it repeatedly, never has found any kind of electrical problem. However, when I found that the fridge and half the house lights didn't work, I called him and he came home. He thought it was a breaker, but when he changed that and still had trouble, he was puzzled. The breaker would flash a spark, then hum and have to be turned off.

DH finally called an electrician, and when he got here, he looked at the light/ceiling fan, could find no problem. Then he tried the breaker, and darn if it didn't work! DH was stunned, for he'd tried it repeatedly, changed it and still couldn't get it to work. After a lot more investigation, the electrician announced he could find "no problem."

I told DH as he was leaving to return to work, "See, I told you we had a ghost." :=)

This is only ONE of the several weird electrical problems we've had since moving in, although we had an electrician do extensive upgrading to the whole house electrical system before we ever moved in. I think this qualifies as "ghostly" interference, or at least it does in my mind. I'm not afraid of our "ghost"...but it was somewhat costly today, and I can do without wasted funds.

The beat goes on with Hurricane Katrina's aftermath; it is very sad to see the horrific devastation in New Orleans, which was one of my favorite cities visited in the past. I recognized lots of familiar sections of the city as the cameras panned over water-logged streets, buildings, and it is truly awful.

I don't think I could return there if I was a resident, and lost my home. I believe I'd just take my insurance money and relocate elsewhere. I can't imagine what the final toll will be, in lives lost, and the national/international economy, on and on. And even IF the coastal areas are rebuilt, none will EVER be the same. Frankly, I don't think I'd want to live below sea level, and I also have to wonder how wise it is to rebuild housing/businesses in such a region. Another hurricane could hit, and they'd be sunk again. And I'm not even going to get started on the potential of rising sea levels over time, which can happen as a result of global warming.

I heard that in Alabama last night there were some long lines at gas stations, and short supplies, which created short tempers. There may indeed be shortages in gasoline supplies due to transport of gas as well as refining problems with oil in the Gulf Coast. Mainly in the northeast and southeast regions, I read on the news. And so it goes...

Not to worry though, our fearless leader has FINALLY returned to his job and all will soon be well. NOT.

Here's some links to firsthand personal blogs by those who are LIVING through the disaster along the coastal areas:

Metroblog New Orleans


Broken Windows

With that, I'm outta here.

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