Outdoor Light Fiasco & Seemingly Distant Memories

A lack of sleep teamed with a dollop of worry put me over the edge the other day when I broke the main power switch on the fuse box. It all started when I realized that our outdoor lights, which are supposed to be on a timer, and Christmas lights, on a separate timer, weren’t coming on at night. The best I could figure is that the outlet was not working. So someone suggested checking the circuit breakers first before calling an electrician. I tried the individual switches and nothing seemed to do the trick, so I decided to switch off the main power. Brilliant is not my middle name… The stiff switch slammed into the off position just fine, but when I tried to turn the power back on…nothing, still nothing, STILL nothing…I couldn’t get the thing to go back to the “ON” position. Ugh… Frustrated, and a bit nervous, I started to freak because this not only meant no lights, but no heat as well. With an infant in the house and snow coming down outside, I panicked. I called a few people and finally got my friend Kathy to come over and help me watch Ella while I focused on helping the electrician to get us out of this mess.

A miracle happened that day. I called several electricians and they all told me that we might need to replace the entire panel if the switch didn't reset. After doing some research, I found out that the fuse box we have is a Challenger—a company that is no longer in business. Finding a main switch of this brand is near to impossible. So if they couldn’t fix it we would have to pay close to $1200 to replace the entire pannel. Praise God they were able to reset the system without a replacement part or new unit.

The down side is that my outdoor lights continue to be a separate issue and still do not work. I guess that will have to be a problem for another day. As for now we have lights, heat and smiles on our faces.

CHRISTMAS PAST
Since we didn’t get to spend Christmas at our own home, I am just now getting around to taking down the tree and decorations around the house. It’s such a sad event seeing the glitter, sparkle and twinkle disappear with every ornament I put away. Yet I get a funny sense of satisfaction organizing the decorations—trying to pack them even better than the year before. Yes, you can say it: “OCD”.

All of this just makes our time in Cape Cod seem so long ago. We spent a lovely week on the snowy ocean while friends and family came to see us and stay a while to share in the spectacular view and meet Miss Carmella. Here are a few more photos of our time…

[Meeting cousin Bruno Anthony and Mark's sister, Laura and brother-in-law, Frank.] [The whole Vig family together.]

[Finally "Antie" Wendy and "Uncle" Jeff get to meet and love on Carmella. They even brought a twin for her to play with.]
[Enjoying a story with "Auntie" Wendy.]

[Hanging out with pals Tammy and AJ.]

[Our dear friends from Northampton St. came to see us. Little Ivy was so excited she couldn't stop petting the baby.]

[Snow, sun, the beach is so much fun...]

[Spending quality time with Dad.]

[First time in a pool.]

-Hope you enjoyed the picts. We are all caught up now...back to daily life as we know it. We all miss the ocean and the rolling hills of New England. We'll be back soon.