This morning, I got up, flipped on the bedroom light, next the living room light, then the kitchen light. I was intending on getting me a cup of coffee before I had to go to work, until I remembered I had some bills I needed to write checks out for. So, I was sitting at my old desk, writing out those checks when the dang lights went out! First thing that hit my mind was that tropical storm NATE had sure gotten here quick. I look outside and although it was cloudy, there was no storm. I begin to walk up and down the street asking neighbors if they had electricity….
All of them did.
So, I came back into the house and called Georgia Power and reported an outage. In a few minutes, I get a text from them saying that my electricity would be restored at 9am. In the meantime, since I am the only one on the street without power, I get worried that a power line may be down on the side of my house where my electric meter is located. So, I stepped outside and go around the front of the house corner to check. The line is still up where it should be…
BUT…my meter is GONE!
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I mean, who would steal an electric meter and who would do it in broad daylight when all the lights in the house were on…meaning that somebody was already up and awake and would surely notice whent he lights went out???
I stand there in front of where the meter is suppose to be and start dialing Ga Power back. This time I get through to a live person. I explain to her that I had previously called to report an outage and this time I was calling to report a missing meter! The conversation went something like this:
Me: “Mam, I just called and reported an outage.”
Her: After checking my idenity, “Yes mam, it has been noted and your power will be back on at 9am.”
Me: “ Well, I just went outside to check for downed wires and found out that my electric meter is actually missing. Did yall pull it out?”
Her: “ Mam, your meter is there.”
Me: “ No mam it isn’t.”
Her: “ Well, I show that it is running”
Me: “ Mam, it is not here, so if it is running, it is running somewhere else”
Her: “ Are you sure you are looking in the right place?’
Me: “ Have yall moved the meter recently?”
Her: “ No, it has never been moved”
Me: “ Then, yes mam, I AM looking in the right place and nothing is here, except the exposed wiring.”
Her: “Okay. I will note that your meter is missing.”
Me: “ Please do. Thank you.”
After I hung up, I go back inside and get my battery operated lantern that I bought after Hurricane Irma hit us about 2 weeks or so ago. I go to the bathroom, set my lantern down and jump in the shower. I have to go to work and I need a shower.
It wasn’t until I got out that it dawned on me that I didn’t have any electricity to blow dry my hair!
I got dressed and went outside just as the man in the Ga Power truck was pulling up in front of my house. He gets out and starts looking up at the top of the pole in front of my house. I take him and show him that my meter is missing. He said, “yes, it’s gone.” Then I ask him if they pulled it for some reason. He tells me they didn’t pull it and besides they would never leave the wires exposed like that. He goes to the truck and gets a meter and puts it right where mine use to be … until some dad-blamed crook stole it.
