However hot it was yesterday, and the heat index reached 110 degrees, it felt much the same today. The heat index reached 108 today. I am of the opinion that anything over 106 is just pain, anyway. The rest is semantics.

Except for this, those poor electricians were back at it today, running wires and cables and connections this way and that, all so that we might one day have a generator operational. They sweated and melted and crusted over and sweated again. They had to turn the power off today, which they did one minute after their projected time. They predicted we would be without power for four or five hours. And after five-some hours they restored power. We stayed in the house, stayed still and read. For most of the time it was fine; the ambient temperature inside served us well as the sun baked us. I was still handing out water, checking on my guys, trying to stay positive and encouraging them to come inside from time to time. They never really would, but they did enjoy working in the basement the best.

We hired these guys, and their company needs to make money and they need to make money, and we’d booked this however far in advance, but sending these fellows out this week, during another intense heatwave, seemed rude.

I poured them water, scooped them ice, offered every little solution I could think of. When it felt like inside of the house was getting too warm I thought to go check in with them again for the fourth or fifth time. When I came back in, the house, which had felt warm a few moments ago, felt absolutely delightful. And that, friends, is relativity.

Still a third man, a gas man, came to the house this afternoon, too. His job was to run a bit of gas line from the new gas meter to the new generator. I think we’ve exhausted the electricians with the conditions and the demands of the job. They will come back again in a week or so to finish up the work. And then the final connections will be made. And then some municipal inspections of their work must be done. And then we will have a generator. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if we lost power sometime between now and then?

Anyway, near the end of the month, sometime in the very early part of next month, we should be set. One less thing to worry about, which we don’t worry about.

But, you know, different people have told us how many of our neighbors have gotten generators around here. Apparently it’s been a big acquisition since 2020. Indeed, as we stood outside looking at the latest work today you could see two of them sitting patiently next to neighboring houses. And, soon, we’ll be set up just so, too.

May we never need them. And may those guys get re-hydrated this evening.

Speaking of books, I finished Carry Me Home. I’ve been putting my observations on Bluesky, for some reason. Here’s the first batch. And so here’s most of the rest of them. I have one or two more that I’ll put here tomorrow.

I have one or two more that I’ll embed in this space tomorrow. And, of course, we’re on to the next book, which is also a great read indeed.