We all know what they say about the best-laid plans.
Like last year, I had planned and shopped for all of John’s favorite meals to enjoy in the week before his launch.
Over the weekend, we organized all of his things in the garage and borrowed Sister’s behemoth car to start loading. This year was a little more complicated as he’s moving into his first apartment, which is a far cry from just fluffing the furnished dorm like we did last year.
Sunday afternoon, I had just laid down on my bed for a brief rest (which I never do) when I heard two loud pops, and black smoke started pouring from the outlet next to my bed. It was SO scary! I raced downstairs yelling for Honey…. who, it turned out, was running to the basement as the same thing had happened down there.
After the Sunday scare, Honey cut the main breaker to the house and called Georgia Power again. They promised to send someone, but no one came. At that point, John was off to stay with friends in Athens to enjoy air, internet, and good company (I couldn’t blame him!). Sweet friends invited us for supper (homemade pizzas!) and even washed a load of clothes for us. We spent the night at home without air or power, which was… miserable.
Monday morning, a new electrician (this one highly recommended by friends) came out first thing. We were so hopeful to be back up and running by lunch. Instead, they quickly determined it wasn’t safe to have the power on and had us make a “dangerous situation” call to Georgia Power. They found that our entire panel needed to be replaced (not surprising in our 1964 home) and collaborated with Georgia Power to determine we need to run a completely new power line, fix a neutral issue, and move the meter. None of it was to current code.
To back up a little: Over the last month, we’ve had strange electrical issues – lights and fans dimming, brightening, flickering- and had both Georgia Power and an electrician out to investigate. Over the course of multiple visits, they found nothing, and of course, we could never replicate the problem while they were here.
As I understand it, for the past month power has been coming into our house without a proper neutral return to send unused power back. The result? Dangerous levels of electricity coming in. Plus, this explains the $840 electric bill I just received.
To make matters worse, none of this set off our smoke detectors. We only had two in the whole house (and none in bedrooms), so we’re replacing them all as I type (the electricians have been working all week inside with head lamps as Georgia Power cannot start running the new lines for a few more days). We lost a lot from the fridge and freezer, boarded the dogs for the week, and packed up to stay with Juju down the street. John stayed in Athens another night before returning to Juju’s for his last day at home.
On the bright side, I’m so thankful I was right next to the outlet when it happened so we could act immediately. I’ve tried not to dwell on all the ways this could have ended, but my gratitude runs deep. I’m also thankful for Juju for taking in all of us – and all of our things, which currently cover every surface of her house.
That said, I’m heartbroken that our last few days of summer with John ended like this. I bawled when I realized he wouldn’t get to say goodbye to the puppies (I filmed a video for him). I lost most of the groceries I’d bought for his “last suppers” at home, but Juju helped me make his favorite Cottage Pie, and I picked up a few treats from the bakery. Last night, we fed him, the boys said their goodbyes, we loaded him up, and he headed back to Auburn early for his sophomore year. Honey and I will join him soon with the last carloads of his things to get him settled in.
This summer didn’t wrap up the way I imagined but it is a reminder that plans are just that: plans. Life can flip them upside down in a heartbeat. I’m so thankful for the amazing summer we DID enjoy, grateful for the safety we were granted, and ready to cheer John on in another year of chasing his dreams and cheering on the Tigers.
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Wonderful pic of the boys—-Such handsome guys !! We have enjoyed and appreciated our Generac Generator, which we use with our natural gas. Not sure it would have helped with your current wires, but something to consider later. Pricey–but worth it !! So sorry you had to go thru this.