I kind of know how old Abe Lincoln felt writing by candle light, seeing how that seems to be my only options. Here it is a big Tuesday night, and the only thing on at the Bruce household is a flashlight. Probably like most households around the area. And after sitting on the porch for a while, trying to read for an hour or two, by battery-powered candle light, making two or three laps around the house, I figured I might as well start on my column. But seeing how the battery has been dead on my laptop for, oh I don’t know, two or three years, I figured I’d use my iPad. But seeing how my fat fingers are just a little bit too big for that keyboard, this might take a while.

Nice storm the other night wasn’t it? I thought I was sitting in a remake of the battle at Gettysburg. But everything was cool; that is till I got to the last five minutes of a rerun of Law and Order SVU, one I hadn’t seen before, and just when they were going to reveal who-dun-it, nothing. Now I don’t mean, they didn’t say who did it, I don’t mean at that exact moment, Mel or one of the kids had to tell me something earth shattering. Nope even Doc wasn’t having a mood; I mean nothing, pitch black, middle of Johnson Swamp on a moonless night NOTHING.

For a few minutes there, there was something unusually strange happening around the house … total silence. Then like most households around Georgetown County, from the kids’ bedrooms came the sound of “What’s going on?” Well to tell the truth, I thought it WAS kind of obvious, but being the Super Dad I am, every body had to ask me, “The lights are out, do something Daddy!”

So I handed them a flash light, hey my super powers as a Father only go so far! Then came the usual questions: how long are they going to be out, how are we going to sleep without a/c, why are you just sitting there? So I came up with a great idea, since the a/c isn’t working, and it’s going to get hot, why don’t you kids take turns spinning the ceiling fan, it will cool you off a little, and besides it will give you something to do?

Even in the dark I could feel the evil eyes staring at me. And that doesn’t even take in to account my buddy Doc. By this time he’s REALLY FREAKING OUT! This dog has a panic attack when some one slams a door, but now we got thunder rocking the house, lightning lighting up the world, and then all of a sudden it’s dark enough you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Plus he wants to get in my lap, yeah right. One time a storm came up, and he launched his self straight off my chair, but not before taking a piece of my hide off my leg when he was getting himself up to a full head of steam, to attack what ever it was that was after him. So you probably could understand my apprehension about letting him hide in my lap. But it was either let him in my lap or see if we have a Xanax some where, either way he still was getting in my lap.

After about an hour or two, I guess every body had figured it was going to be a while, and went to bed. Me I have memories of before a/c, remember that, well some of you might not. Laying there, with no breeze at all, back then we all wore pajamas, so before long they were just about soaked. And the next thing you know one little drop of sweat would roll down your back, and roll right between the crack … oh well you know what I’m talking about. You talking about a HELLO moment! So needless to say, I was wide awake.

So after the third or fourth time my fat fingers hit a wrong button and erasing the first two paragraphs I had wrote, and I was at the point where enough is enough, THE LIGHTS CAME ON!

You know as I think back to the so called ‘Good Ole Days”, there is one thing that always brings me back to reality. It’s not how much I like my computer, or cell phone, a/c, or any of the other modern conveniences we’ve grown accustomed too. It’s the not having to wait,

Wait on that drop of sweat, to roll down my back as I’m trying to sleep and then …

You can reach Robbin Bruce by e-mail at robbinbruce@yahoo.com.