When the lights go out...

The power went out again this morning. It feels like it goes out at least once a week now, which is better than a few years ago when it happened at least three times as often. The nice thing is that we have an automatic switch generator. I don't know much about generators, but I do know that when our power used to go out, our lives would literally stop. It's a huge difference in a place that is extremely warm all the time when you don't have an AC or fan running.

When the local electric company shuts down all the power, often island-wide, it gets hot very quickly. Now we're lucky that the generator automatically goes on, so we don't really know that we don't have power except that the lights flicker a little and the loud generator noise is tough to miss, even though it's not that close by. There used to be a time that we couldn't even use the toilet because of how the cisterns and sump pumps are situated in most houses on this island, but not anymore. The worst was after the hurricane when the shower wouldn't even work unless a generator was running.

Life has gotten a lot more comfortable than it used to be here. A decade ago, everything was so new here, and we were so young, that we didn't mind the heat or having to leave the house during the day on the weekends because it was just so hot. Now, with the automatic generator and the ACs, it's not that different from living stateside as far as summer indoor temperature.

Yesterday I also realized that the sunsets and the moon on St. Croix look so much different than in the states. I don't remember seeing the moon in Chicago very often, but here it looks like it was painted anew almost every night. We can even see it during the day. It’s really magical, especially when it’s full. The sunsets are also something to write (or text) home about.

Winter weather is a completely different story. I haven't seen snow and I haven't felt my face freeze in over a decade. I hated the cold when I lived in Chicago. Of course, all my daughter wants now is to see snow, but snow is hard to order on demand. One day she'll see snow and probably ice and frost, and the excitement will be short-lived. Until then, we'll all enjoy the bright moon and the warmth of the sun all the time.