Gas-Powered Movie

The power is back on, after 15 hours. And Internet access is working, too. Whew!

Yesterday afternoon we were hit by a sudden and violent thunderstorm with some of the heaviest rain I’ve ever seen, and hail to boot. Carol, Eric and I were watching the storm when we heard a thunderclap that was so loud it sounded as if it were next door. Well, it was. Lightning hit a large tree, the tree hit the utility wires, and out went the power on our street.

We ate out with friends from across the street, then we all watched a movie at our place. No, we didn’t gather around a portable DVD player. My portable generator came to the rescue.

Coleman Portable Generator

It has two household outlets, 110V/15A. I bought it over five years ago in case we ever need the sump pump running during a power outage. That situation hasn’t happened yet, but it did fine last night powering the 32-inch TV and DVD player.

Our neighbors brought over Bridge To Terabithia. It’s an enjoyable family movie, with a surprise plot twist. The gas tank on the generator isn’t very big, but it ran for two hours and the movie is only 90 minutes long.

Pratt Porch Project – Day 2

Not a whole lot is different today, because our contractor could work only in the morning. He ripped out all of the wall board that was projecting into the porch. He called it a “70’s-style flare-out.” The building code requires that the exhaust vent from the over-stove microwave oven, to the left of the sliding glass door, be re-routed to the roof.

Pratt Porch Day 2 Pratt Porch Day 2

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That’s fiberglass on the porch roof, by the way. We’ll be getting a proper roof, with a skylight on each side. See that other dated decoration, inside of the house? The geometric room divider? We’ll get rid of that in a future remodeling project.

A Porch There Was – Day 1

This year the pollen was rather late in arriving, but when it did it came with a vengeance! For most of my life I’ve been allergy-free, but no longer. The pollen not only made us miserable, it kept leaving a dusting of yellow on the back porch.

So we decided to remodel the porch into a 3-season room, with casement windows, electric baseboard heat, and a through-the-wall air conditioner. Today was Day 1, and what a difference a day makes! Every day that something gets done, and there will be gaps, I’ll try to post some pictures.

Pratt Porch Day 0 Pratt Porch Day 0
Pratt Porch Day 1 Pratt Porch Day 1

Click to enlarge