ahh, the inconveniences of a tropical storm, and FPL
Well, the rains are here, and welcome. The dry spots in the yard that the sprinklers don't hit enough are looking far better, and the pond out back is looking more like a pond and less like a beach, but it still has a long way to go. I'm hoping we still have a good deal of rain coming though. My yard needs it a lot less than the forests.
It did mean the usual FPL power outages though...just as we were trying to get ready for work. It meant getting dressed in a hurry by flashlight, so I could disconnect the garage door from the opener so the wife could get her car out (mine lives in the driveway) and then reconnecting it after she left and not getting to go through the morning ritual with the paper. I sat there in the semi-dark as the cloudy day was beginning and figured...might as well head for work. At least there we might have power...and air conditioning. I know these things will happen, but they get very frustrating. We live on the border between two power companies. South of the border road, we belong to Florida Power and Light. FPL owns most of south Florida. We're like the red headed stepchild up north. Across the border road to the north lies the territory of Jacksonville Electric Authority. Ahhh, JEA...Mecca of electrical power! As I drive out to work, the lights are obvious. JEA still has power. Everyone north of the border road still has power. The gas station on the north side of the road at I-95...lit up like a Christmas tree. The one on the south side...dark and dormant. If this were an isolated incident, it wouldn't be a big deal, but two years ago when the real hurricanes came through, the folks north of the road had power days before we did. DAYS! I'd drive home from work (in JEA territory, so there was power), down the border road and see the lights...and turn south into our neighborhood, and sit in the dark and humidity. We finally checked into a hotel...north of the border road. FPL's excuse was...."We have a lot more people in Miami and Boca with no power and in worse shape than you. We'll get to you when we can." I'm not saying you didn't have people in worse shape than us and lots of 'em, but we're part of your territory too. If you can't handle it, please give us away. Give us to JEA. They obviously have the ability to keep power coming to our part of the middle of nowhere when you obviously can't. Today, that Miami/Boca excuse ain't flyin'. In those storms two years ago, we'd go across the border road to the grocery store just to sit in their air conditioning. I was tempted to ask if I could put a cot in their frozen food aisle.
This is a minor inconvenience. I'll take a little time powerless if it means the fire danger for this half of the state goes way down. I'm making a bigger deal of it than it really is, but this thing with FPL is chaping my ass. Despite my willingness to sacrifice some time without power for much needed rain, it doesn't have to be that way. It wouldn't be so bad if FPL's incompetence wasn't so glaringly obvious on one side of my drive to and from work. Somebody knows how to keep the lights on. If you can't handle what you have, give it to someone who can.
It did mean the usual FPL power outages though...just as we were trying to get ready for work. It meant getting dressed in a hurry by flashlight, so I could disconnect the garage door from the opener so the wife could get her car out (mine lives in the driveway) and then reconnecting it after she left and not getting to go through the morning ritual with the paper. I sat there in the semi-dark as the cloudy day was beginning and figured...might as well head for work. At least there we might have power...and air conditioning. I know these things will happen, but they get very frustrating. We live on the border between two power companies. South of the border road, we belong to Florida Power and Light. FPL owns most of south Florida. We're like the red headed stepchild up north. Across the border road to the north lies the territory of Jacksonville Electric Authority. Ahhh, JEA...Mecca of electrical power! As I drive out to work, the lights are obvious. JEA still has power. Everyone north of the border road still has power. The gas station on the north side of the road at I-95...lit up like a Christmas tree. The one on the south side...dark and dormant. If this were an isolated incident, it wouldn't be a big deal, but two years ago when the real hurricanes came through, the folks north of the road had power days before we did. DAYS! I'd drive home from work (in JEA territory, so there was power), down the border road and see the lights...and turn south into our neighborhood, and sit in the dark and humidity. We finally checked into a hotel...north of the border road. FPL's excuse was...."We have a lot more people in Miami and Boca with no power and in worse shape than you. We'll get to you when we can." I'm not saying you didn't have people in worse shape than us and lots of 'em, but we're part of your territory too. If you can't handle it, please give us away. Give us to JEA. They obviously have the ability to keep power coming to our part of the middle of nowhere when you obviously can't. Today, that Miami/Boca excuse ain't flyin'. In those storms two years ago, we'd go across the border road to the grocery store just to sit in their air conditioning. I was tempted to ask if I could put a cot in their frozen food aisle.
This is a minor inconvenience. I'll take a little time powerless if it means the fire danger for this half of the state goes way down. I'm making a bigger deal of it than it really is, but this thing with FPL is chaping my ass. Despite my willingness to sacrifice some time without power for much needed rain, it doesn't have to be that way. It wouldn't be so bad if FPL's incompetence wasn't so glaringly obvious on one side of my drive to and from work. Somebody knows how to keep the lights on. If you can't handle what you have, give it to someone who can.
John put this out here at 6:42 AM
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