Anyway, the guys showed up....plugged in the lights....ahhhh...the lights were amazing!
I flipped the switch and waited until sunset to see the holiday display.....as the sun set, the lights went on.....Ahhhhh......
Two hours dad came home and asked the question, "so, what happened to your lights?"
Huh? They are on....check it out. They are beautiful, festive, peaceful.....whatchatawkinabout?
Looking outside, my eyes saw nothing...darkness....who's playing with me? Come on now. What's the deal?
I know...let's check the breaker in the basement......That's it! By the way, when the lights tripped the circuit, the internet and television went out too.
Reflipping the circuit breaker, the lights went on again....ahhhhhh......
Three minutes later, someone yells "Internet is out! lights are out!"
Dang...double dang....triple dang!
Throwing up the white towel, I clicked off the front lights to turn the internet and television on. Then I sat and thought....and thought....and thought...what to do....
What to do?
I know! I called an electrician. That's right, an electrician!
I was beginning to feel the holiday pressure as the entire neighborhood was impeccably lit and my house remained dark. OK, call me shallow, but I wanted the lights on. That's it.
The electrician could not come until the following Monday and since Cookie fest was in two days, I made appropriate preparations to welcome my guests with holiday cheer. On the day of Cookie Fest, I went out to the garage to get the extra ingredients for the celebration when I noticed the refrigerator was dead. Yep, rest in peace old friend....as I was ready to pull the plug, I remembered the outside lights tripping the circuit and quickly ran to the basement to see if the fridge was on the same circuit. Lo and behold, it was a Christmas miracle! The refrigerator was not dead (although the food inside died), but needed a jolt of power. Problem solved, right?
After a successful Cookie fest and vow to never eat again, Monday came and so did my electrician. He scratched his head when I told him about my Christmas lights. It seems that this was his first house call to save holiday lights from extinction.
Finding the problem....too many lights in one outlet, he made plans to return on Tuesday to correct the problem. per his promise, he showed up on Tuesday and fixed the issue. He even helped me with a string or two. Problem fixed ten days after it started. Fortunately, I did not wait until the last minute to put up the lights....that's right, I said....I did not wait....I did not have any help from the peanut gallery and was blessed to find Santa's Helpers who will also take down the lights in January and return next year.
With that said, on my way home last night, I drove slowly at dusk and could see the house lights....ahhhhhh.....am I shallow? Hmmm...good question.....I had to think about it as I made call after call trying to illuminate the house and here is my answer.....
Yes and No.
Yes, I am shallow because it meant something to me that the house looked pretty during the holidays. I like the lights and the pretty twinkling bulbs. It has a calming effect on me except in July when I think that it is awful to leave Christmas lights up all year.
No, I am not shallow because I believe that the lights and not the plastic Santas represent what the holiday is all about as the world was in darkness until the Light of the word was born in a little town of Bethlehem.
'nuff said about the lights. My semester is over. Students are contacting me that their grades are too low and I placed a 'gone fishing' note on my email. BY the way, I had to chuckle when one of my student evaluations (which are anonymous) told me that I gave her a headache and made her/him anxious and I should tone it down a bit.
I will return soon to update you on our favorite lefty as he diligently works to return to the mound.
OK, gotta run and finish preparations!
Peace!
