Power is Back After Typhoon Nina

The peaceful part of the power-less night.  By 4;00 AM, our rat catching adventure would begin.

          Thank God for sparing our area from Nina, the last typhoon of 2016.

          Power lines were down from Christmas day to New Year's Eve so this was how our nights were.  Nerissa would work on tax forms while I check student papers.  This was one of our three nocturnal activities during the past days -- working by candlelight, fixing water lines at 2:00 AM and hunting a rat at 4:00 AM until daylight.

          Without our kitchen night light, at least one rat has been lurking around the kitchen at night.  Nerissa said I found a new obsession.  I would wake up at 4:00 in the morning upon hearing rattles on the kitchen counter, under the oven or in the toilet.  Then I would plan and think about trapping it the rest of day.

         I can still remember how the rat would stare at me every time my flashlight catches it.  Have you ever felt so stupid whenever you feel immobilized the every time you the rat?  You're ready to pounce on the animal but when you actually see it, you freeze.  Funny thing is, for a fraction of a second it freezes also, we meet eye to eye, then comes my wife's shrieks and our desperate attempts to catch it each time its trapped in a corner.  Imagine how funny and stupid my wife and I look if we were able to record ourselves on video.

          But I still haven't caught it yet.  I feel like such a great failure.         
       
          Hopefully, nights like this won't return soon.  We've been hearing reports that power will be out again as they perform further repairs.

          So we are back online for now.  Happy New Year, everyone!