Yesterday I felt a bit like Henry VI.
One moment I had power, And then I didn’t. And then I did. And then I didn't.
Electrical power, that is. In my case.
Electricity is rather reliable in Mexico. At least, in Melaque. The power company (CFE) keeps its end of the social contract. When I flip a switch, I almost always get results.
There are exceptions. Like yesterday.
When I returned home from Manzanillo, I noticed there was a good deal of activity a few houses down. Truck. Men in the streets.
I didn’t pay much attention until I opened the refrigerator door to store some prized lunch meat I had managed to bag in The Big City. No light. And not very cold.
Flipping a couple of other switches answered what type of truck was in the street. A CFE truck. They must be repairing some sort of outage, thought I in my best Logic 101 fashion.
My upstairs neighbors then gave me the rest of the story. CFE is replacing old utilities poles. And, of course, the electricity had to be turned off to accomplish the task safely. The house had been without power for several hours
So, out I went. This was a blog event playing out right before my camera.
The truck at the left side of the photograph had brought new poles. By the time I arrived, the poles were up and were being ratcheted into place. The men on the top of the poles were then installing new wires.
But take a look at what they are using to stay in place.
No stirrups. No cherry picker. They have tied a loop of rope for their foot and the weight on the loop tightens the knot around the pole. Just like a properly-installed hammock. Clever. But it is the type of safety equipment that would drive OSHA to its citation pad in The States.
During the summer, we lose electricity with about every third rain storm. But those outages are usually only for an hour or two.
This refurbishment took longer. but not long enough to damage the food in the refrigerator -- even though I did need to make new ice.
The greatest inconvenience was the lack of internet. I ran my laptop off of my battery. But it felt odd not having blog or email contact. Instead, I actually had to go talk to people face to face.
In the end, Henry VI lost all power -- and his life.
And me? My power was restored by the end of the day with some shiny new infrastructure to add a bit of regal luster.
