2019 Spring May 25 Saturday

64 degrees this morning, 96% humidity 

Walked outside yesterday morning, I had gotten to the point I couldn’t stand the thought of walking inside when it was so nice outside!  (I stopped walking outside due to allergies causing some respiratory problems).

As I noted in the addendum yesterday, I walked faster yesterday outside than I ever did on the inside track!  

I also noted that it is much more difficult (and so probably better) to walk outside than it is inside!  There are things like hills, etc. that make your work harder!

For the record, I walked 24:03 minutes and my pace was only 13 seconds slower than my “goal”!  I walked a shortened route and will probably continue to do so.  Hopefully I can walk and bike outside and then go up and swim most days. 

Heavy rain and thunderstorm again late last night.  

Woke up early this morning to an unnatural stillness and realized the electricity was out.  

I laid there very aware of the importance of electricity and wondering when we will be able to power our houses etc. with a “battery pack” and can get away from our dependence on electricity relays etc. I know if we are truly aware of our dependence on so many little parts and procedures in the regional delivery of electricity, it would speed up development of a “house battery”.

Anytime the electricity goes off, I always wonder if this is “the big one” that lasts for days without electricity.   Hopefully we will never have to experience it!

Actually the longest time we went without electricity (7 days), we tended to develop our own response and routines  to it and it wasn’t that bad.  Of course, that wasn’t (the depth of winter or the height of summer.  

Actually, while we went to AAA baseball games before that, I always think of that time as when we came to really enjoy AAA baseball games in Memphis.  For some odd reason, although electricity was out near it, the baseball park had electricity.  It was so nice to go to the games and have electricity and feel somewhat “normal”.

The city we lived in had about half the city (where we lived) out of electricity and the other side of town (where I worked) had electricity!   A weird storm.  

I checked the internet (Hurricane Elvis as it is popularly known) and it was on July 22, 2003, so it actually was the height of Summer.   We spent a lot of time outside!  

Technically is was a “Derecho” and there have been two notable Derechos, one in Kansas City on June 7, 1982 and in Memphis in 2003.  (Probably a lot more, but these are two notable ones.)

I still remember that morning, it got very still and then suddenly literally the strongest wind and rain I have ever experienced.  I understand “straight winds” were as strong as 105 mph.  We had a big picture window on the west (where the wind and some came from the Mississippi River) and I am amazed it didn’t shatter.  Uprooted trees caused most of the damage.

I walked out of the house after the storm and saw shingles all over the yard, and then realized with relief it wasn’t from our house!  We were blocked by fallen trees for a while, but our house didn’t have any permanent damage.

Start of a 3 day Memorial weekend, it is a good feeling to look forward to 3 days off! 

That’s it for now, Saturday, May 25, 2019.