Blackout

We got hit with remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole last week up here in the Northeast (in a case of science meeting the obvious, by the time we experienced it, Tropical Storm Nicole was no longer considered Tropical).  It rained pretty heavily for most of week.  Luckily our area was relatively fine although there were some areas close by that suffered from flash flooding.  Although this weekend was beautiful, it looks like it's going to be another wet week.

At one point during the storm, just as we were settling in to cook dinner, the power flickered and then went out.  It's kind of surreal how much ambient noise modern nature surrounds us with.  There was no television or music.  The hum of the air purifier, the random computer fans, and even the refrigerator were silenced.  The only thing left was a slight ringing of the ears---sometimes the loudest thing can be the lack of noise.  The house was completely dark with only trace ambient light filtering in through the windows.  The power to the entire neighborhood was out.  We could see the tell-tale frantic movement of flashlights from some of the other units in our complex while others revealed the steady calm of candlelight.  Some remained dark. 

The rain had calmed so we took the opportunity to go outside.  It was dark and calm outside and surprisingly quiet---we were alone as everyone else stayed huddled indoors.  All of the lights were out and only moonlight diffused by the clouds lit the way.  The air was clean from the fresh rain.  It ended up being a long, peaceful walk and we could just leave all the modern distractions behind.  By the time we came back, the power flickered back on to welcome us to a warm and cozy home.